Meteors And Satellites

Well, if even I managed to see the meteor shower from my garden surrounded by street lights, then it must have been pretty spectacular if you were in the heart of the country with a dark, unpolluted night sky. I was out late evening and spotted at least three satellites (two following each other across the night sky) and a few of the Perseid meteors before going to bed and deciding I was going to make the effort and get up early morning to see them at their peak, as this was such a great opportunity with a clear sky and a new moon and the fact that I could see them from the garden.

I guess I wasn't the only one standing out in the garden in the early hours looking skyward to spot the streaks of light as the speed across the sky and at least with enough about it on the news, anyone spotting me in the garden, seating on the bench wouldn't be thinking I was too weird ... well, I hope not. I hadn't quite made it up for 3am, when they were at their peak but was out an hour later and spotted at least half a dozen in twenty minutes. Just as the sky was starting to lighten up , I decided I really needed a couple of hours sleep and before my neck developed a permanent crick, headed back to bed.

Don't worry if you missed them. The Perseids are an annual event and can continue to be seen for another week until the 20th August. There are also regular meteor showers that occur throughout the year - you can find out more on the BAA site. Just look up into a clear night sky and if the crick in the neck doesn't get to you first, you should see one ... or two. You're much more likely to see a satellite these days, the sky is littered with them - bright points of light tracking across the sky in a pretty straight line.