Meteor showers in the forecast

Look up tonight and you might see a shower of meteors crossing the night sky!

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks tonight. The Earth will be passing through the debris left behind the comet Swift-Tuttle.  Small particles of rock and dust will burn up as they enter our atmosphere, creating gentle streaks of bright light.

According to Stardate magazine, most of the meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, visible in the northeast.  You could see a meteor every minute or two between midnight and sunrise Friday morning.

For the best view, get away from city lights. You don't need binoculars or a telescope. Wait several minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and look up!

Although the number of meteors will be greatest tonight, you could still see frequent "falling stars" over the next week or two.

Look up to see the Space Shuttle and International Space Station

If the clouds cooperate, the view should be spectacular when the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the ISS pass over the Houston-Galveston area. The two are docked together, creating one big object in space. We can see them from Earth when sunlight reflects off their shiny surfaces.

Here's when and where you need to look this week:

Monday, May 17

• 9:22 PM Appearing from the northwest horizon, passing very high in the sky, fading away into the east/southeast horizon. Visible for four minutes.

Tuesday, May 18

• 9:47 PM Appearing from the northwest horizon and moving very low across the western sky. This sighting will be more difficult to see within the city where the horizon is blocked by buildings and trees. Visible for three minutes.

Wednesday, May 19

• 8:36 PM Perhaps the best view of the week! Appearing from the northwest horizon, passing nearly directly overhead and fading away into the southeast horizon. Visible for six minutes!

Thursday, May 20

• 9:01 PM Appearing from the northwest horizon, passing very low in the southwest, fading away into the southern horizon. This passing will also be difficult to see within the city. Visible for four minutes.

International Space Station passing over Houston

We have a few opportunities to see the ISS when it passes over the Bayou City this week. And the weather should cooperate giving us a good view of our neighbors.

Here's when and where you need to look:

Tuesday, April 27

• 6:04 AM Appearing from the northwest horizon
• 6:06 AM Passing through the southwest quadrant
• 6:10 AM Fading into the southeast horizon

• 8:52 PM Appearing from the southwest horizon
• 8:55 PMPassing through the southeast quadrant
• 8:57 PM Fading into the northeast horizon

Wednesday, April 28

• 4:56 AM Appearing from the northern horizon
• 4:57 AM Passing through the northeast quadrant
• 5:00 AM Fading into the southeast horizon

• 9:18 PM Appearing from the southwest horizon
• 9:20 PM Passing through the northwest quadrant
• 9:22 PM Fading into the northeast horizon

The Moon and Mars appear together

Look up tonight to see the planet Mars shining brightly next to the Moon.

The sky will be clear so you'll have no problem seeing the two celestial objects. Look up, high in the southern sky after sunset.  If you use a telescope or binoculars you'll be able to see Mars' reddish color.

Mars and the Moon appear together in the night sky

If the sky clears out, you'll see the full Moon pass close to the planet Mars tonight. 

The Red Planet will rise in the eastern sky at about the same time the sun is setting out west. The Moon will be just to the right of Mars.

According to StarDate magazine, even though the Red Planet will be 62 million miles away, it will be one of the brightest objects in the sky.  If you look at it through a telescope, you might be able to detect it's orange color.

You might have better luck seeing the pairing on Saturday night since the sky is more likely to be clear.

International Space Station passing over Houston

Weather permitting, the orbit of the  International Space Station will bring it right over Houston on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Space Shuttle is scheduled to land Friday morning. If that changes, you might also see the space vehicle along with the ISS.

Friday, November 27

• 6:03 PM Appearing from the north/northwest horizon
• 6:05 PM Passing overhead
• 6:08 PM Disappearing into the east/southeast horizon

Saturday, November 28

• 6:26 PM Appearing from the west/northwest horizon
• 6:28 PM Passing overhead
• 6:31 PM Disappearing into the south/southeast horizon

Check the weather conditions on our website.

 

Leonid meteor shower peaks Monday night

Although we have rain in the forecast, the sky should be mostly clear by Monday night, giving us a good view of the Leonid Meteor Shower.

StarDate magazine says we could see a dozen or more meteors per hour. "There is uncertainty on the intensity of this year's shower," they added. "Some astronomers predict the rate could be greater than 100 per hour."

The falling stars should stand out against the dry, dark sky. The new moon won't rise until after daybreak Tuesday.

Leonid meteors occur every year about this time when the Earth passes through the dust left behind comet Tempel-Tuttle. Most of the meteors will appear to fall from the constellation Leo the Lion, which is where the shower gets its name.

For the best view, get away from city lights. Lie back and look to the east, allowing time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Don't try and follow the meteors with binoculars or a telescope; they move too fast for that. Enjoy the show!

 

Orionid Meteor Shower

Early birds could see a few falling stars early Wednesday morning during  the Orionid Meteor Shower. Unfortunately the sky will be mostly cloudy, blocking the view for many of us.

Stardate says we could see up to 20 meteors per hour. Most will seem to appear out of the constellation Orion for which the shower is named.

The Orionids happen every year this time when the Earth's orbit around the sun takes us through the dusty debris left behind by Halley's Comet.

For the best view, get away from city lights, let you eyes adjust to the darkness and simply look up, toward the southeast.

Take a shower with the Perseids this week.

Look up this week and enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower.

StarDate magazine calls it the "late-summer fireworks show."  The fiery, falling stars are actually pieces of dust and rock left behind from the comet Swift-Tuttle, burning up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Most of them will seem to appear from the constellation Perseus, for which this meteor shower is named.

The best view will be late Tuesday night, after midnight but before dawn Wednesday morning. You could see a meteor every minute! Although a bright, waning gibbous moon will keep the sky pretty bright, making some of the smaller meteors hard to see.

For the best view, get away from city lights. Allow you eyes to adjust to the darkness and then lie back and look up. Don't try to follow the meteors with a telescope or binoculars; they move too fast.

Space Shuttle and ISS directly overhead tonight

Three man-made objects floating along in space will pass directly over Houston tonight. 

The Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and the Russian supply ship Progress will appear, in that order, one after the other.  Look up toward the northwest at 9:12 PM.  The three bright objects will move almost directly overhead and then fade away in the southeast at 9:18 PM.

While we have some clouds over Houston right now, these clouds should begin to dissipate by early evening. The sunset is at 8:17 PM so the sky should be dark, providing a perfect view of the triple pass.