Perseid Meteor Shower This Weekend

Above, a chunk of the meteor that created Arizona's Meteor Crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Budding astronomers and stargazers will be in for a big treat this weekend.

Travel + Leisure reported:

Save all your wishes for this weekend. Shooting stars could happen every minute.

From Aug.11–13, the Perseid meteor shower will send between 60 and 70 meteors shooting across the sky every hour. The meteor shower's peak is expected to occur the night of Sunday, Aug. 12 into the wee hours of Monday morning. 

This weekend’s show is expected to be particularly spectacular. The Perseids happen every year, but this year’s crescent moon will make the sky darker, allowing the meteors to shine. 

If you’re planning on watching the Perseid meteor shower, bear in mind that it will take at least 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The longer you’re outside in the dark, the better your vision of the meteors will be. The best time to be outside to catch the peak is between midnight and dawn. Stargazers won’t need to look at any particular point in the sky to catch a glimpse of a shooting meteor. They should be everywhere.

To read more, go here.

Waning Crescent Moon

A few minutes ago, with some coffee in hand, I stepped outside and viewed the dawn. My attention was caught by a waning crescent in the east.

It was something that I could not pass up photography-wise, so I went inside and grabbed my camera.

Here's some shots I took:

For those budding astronomers, here's a site for the different phases of the moon.

Too Cold For Meteor-Watching, Etc.

Above, the mesas at dusk. I should have gone out earlier. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, I woke up at 3:00 thanks to Sierra hogging the bed. But I was planning on getting up early to see the Lyrid meteor shower anyway.

Above, the sun already got below the horizon when I went outside. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I went outside in 36­­° temperatures. The night sky was clear and full of stars. But I saw no meteors. Then again, I only spent ten minutes outside before the cold drove me back into the house (not that I've never seen meteors before).

Above, the new jade plant and pot I bought yesterday. The bear planter stand I
gave my mom about a year or two before she passed away. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The temperature continued to drop and is now at 32° (freezing). So I went out again to switch on the The Beast's holding tank heaters. I lingered a bit and still saw no meteors.

This wasn't the only dud during the past 12 hours. I was planning to shoot the mesas across the valley at sunset last night, but I got outside too late as the sun was just dipping below the horizon. I was planning to send the photos to Asya to look over for the painting. If it is clear outside this coming evening, I will try again (and get outside earlier).

I did take a few shots outside last evening anyway and they accompany this post.

Meteors Tonight!

"That's a meteor! King-sized!" - Perry White in "Panic In The Sky."

Meteors!

USA Today reported:

If you're up late Saturday night — or up early Sunday morning — be sure to take a peek up at the night sky for the Lyrid meteor shower. The shower has been know to bombard the sky with up to nearly 100 meteors per hour. The best viewing conditions are expected across much of the northeastern and southwestern U.S. The worst conditions will be across the central Plains and Deep South, where clouds and showers are forecast.

Look towards the northeastern portion of the night sky.

To read more, go here. 

Dark Sky Parks

Above, one of the places recommended is Desert View at the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today's night skies are getting harder and harder to enjoy unless one goes out to a remote area somewhere with their telescope or binoculars.

However, there are still places to go to and Sky & Telescope has a list of ten of them.

They begin with:

There’s a simple rule for anyone searching for a dark sky; go somewhere others are not. The spread of LED lighting in North America over the past decade or so has worsened light pollution and skyglow in many previously dark locations. However, the vastness of the U.S. means there are still plenty of empty spaces where deep-sky objects and the Milky Way can still be seen easily with the naked eye. In celebration of International Dark Sky Week (April 15-21, 2018), let's look at a few of them. 

A good place to start is the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), which certifies mainly national parks, state parks, and national monuments as having night sky-friendly lighting. The IDA differentiates between Dark Sky Reserves and Dark Sky Parks: Dark Sky Reserves are areas where light pollution is being actively curtailed despite the presence of towns and settlements. All very important, but for the finest astronomical experiences, it's Dark Sky Parks you should head to — only in these mostly remote places will you find nighttime conditions prevalent before the introduction of electric lighting in the late 19th century.

When I bought my house in New Mexico, I was told by the realtor that the area I will be living in has great nighttime views. Up until recently, it has been too cold to go outside to enjoy the night sky. But yesterday morning, I left Gallup for home at 5:00 and even before I arrived home, the number of stars (and planets) I was able to see through my windshield were amazing.

One of the places recommended by Sky & Telescope is Desert View at Grand Canyon National Park. The Watchtower is located at Desert View.

To read more, go here. 

Stargazing Road Trip

Above, a map to the closest recommended stargazing location to me. NPS map.

Back in my college days, I had to take a natural science class of some sort while attending California State University, Long Beach as required.

I immediately chose astronomy since I had more than just a passing interest in the subject.

The class was a fun one as it included outings to O'Neill Park in Orange County for stargazing. I still have the refractor telescope I bought from the classmate.

Do It Yourself RV has an article on some of the best places for stargazing, ranging from Big Bend National Park (in Texas) to Yellowstone National Park.

Interestingly, the second place named in the article is the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The park is not too far from me in New Mexico. The road to Chaco (Highway 371) is reached in Thoreau, New Mexico, which is only about 20 miles away from me.

The article begins with:

The International Dark-Sky Association recognizes places around the world with the darkest night skies.  Specifically, they designate places that take extra measures to reduce light pollution and have astronomy programs for visitors. 

Many of the IDA Dark Sky Parks are right here in the U.S.  They’re in quiet, remote areas, far away from the light pollution in cities, especially across the desert southwest and the Colorado Plateau. 

Using our favorite trip planner RV Trip Wizard, we mapped out a route where you can visit ten great stargazing parks in a row.  You can plan this route from Big Bend National Park to Yellowstone, or vice versa, and complete the trip in a few weeks or a few months, depending on how much time you want to spend at each stop.  Don’t forget to pack some binoculars or a telescope.

To read more, go here.

Camping Under The Stars

Above, Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the great benefits of camping in the high desert is that the skies are filled with stars to stargaze at.

Two years ago, I camped out at Joshua Tree National Park and attended the ranger program one night on constellations at the Cottonwood Campground amphitheater. Even though it was a bitter cold night, it was an enjoyable program with clear skies.

Above, The Beast at Cottonwood Campground at Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Hesperia Star has an article on stargazing out in the deserts of California.

It begins with:

Right here in our own high desert, are some of the most clear sky and beautiful star gazing camping areas that you can imagine. Many camping spots are uncrowded and not hampered in your star gazing experience by city lights. Some years ago, Russ and Lori camped at Joshua Tree National Monument where we were able to witness Haley’s Comet pass by our planet. 

In those days, it took some planning and study to know what constellations you were looking for. It was a fun study, and still is. Yet, you can find a free application for your cellphone that actually gives you a visual and audio explanation of exactly where you are looking in the sky.

There is no need for expensive equipment to enjoy star gazing. One can simply kick back in their camping chair. Go with a pair of binoculars if you want a bit more of a close-up. Telescopes can be had very inexpensively as well. What you are looking for are the camping areas that tend to be a little darker at night for the full effect.

To read more, go here.