The skies above Door County were an ideal location to watch the meteor showers. Down here in the 'burbs of Chicago, not so much.

For those of you with better viewing options:

quote:

With no Moon to spoil the show it’s time to break out the lawn chairs, sit back, and watch the comet dust fly.

The annual Perseid shower will make its big splash on the night of August 12–13. Patience has its reward. Observers won't have to tangle with the full Moon as we did last year. Instead, an 8%-illuminated crescent will rise around 3 a.m. local time and make a welcome sight in the eastern sky as dawn gets underway. Additionally, two potential meteor outbursts during and after shower maximum could sweeten the pot. More about those in a moment.

https://skyandtelescope.org/ob...rseid-meteor-shower/

thanks for the link to the map. Super helpful. I am going to have to drive further than I thought to find dark skies. Luckily only a couple of hours.

I’m going camping this weekend on the sunny side (fewer clouds) of the Cascades with friends. Hoping for spectacular Perseid viewing!

The Virtual Telescope Project for those of us who have bad weather or who aren't in a good location to see them in person.

Perseid pics.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66486813

I forgot to tune into the Virtual Telescope...

the night of the 12th was cloudy, so I stayed home, but slept with the shades open in the bedroom, just in case it cleared off.

i read that the peak is still going on somewhat for a couple of days after, so last night I drove an hour to the edge of a wilderness that burned many years ago. Class 1 dark skies. I put a zero gravity chair out in a meadow, feet to the northeast.

Right at 10 pm, just as it got dark, the show began. Some of the shooting stars were blazing comets that streaked across the entire sky, from one horizon to another. Truly spectacular. After a few hours of dozing and waking and dozing, I moved to the mattress in the back of the truck, but had my head outside, on the tailgate, so I could keep on watching whenever I woke up.

Feeling pretty sleepy today, but it was wonderful to wake up early in the morning, watch the sun come up, and go for a nice long wilderness walk before driving home.

I finally have my car camping gear dialed in and organized enough that it only took 15 minutes to get everything I needed into the truck.