Tag Archives: Perseus

Drawing the Perseids

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Drawing a meteor shower On several occasions in the past, I have drawn the Perseid meteor shower. I am not sure if anyone else has done this ? I might be the only mad woman to have tried. The Perseids are fast and are therefore in my opinion the most fun meteor shower of the year. With luck the sky is clear and the air is warm. You can sit back and be enthralled by the action of ancient pieces of comet debris hitting our atmosphere at 37 miles a second. Video about the method Because it is an enjoyable excercise,  I decided to share how I go about recording the meteors in the video above. The pencil drawings are done on the night in real-time. I use a clip board and an A4 sheet of paper.  The colour version is usually produced the following day. It is difficult to see colour properly in the dark. It is, therefore, more … Continue reading →

Dark Sky Painting Memories

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This week my mind is turing towards the Perseid Meteor Shower. I was reminded of a Space Camp for children that I did back in August 2018. The children helped to create several dark sky paintings, this one involved learning about the best meteor shower of the year. While Dark Sky Painting one deals with the impact of light pollution on bees and other insects. It also sought to teach children and viewers of the painting about the night sky. Dark Sky Painting two here, highlights  the effects humans have on our planets bird species and their habitats. On Earth, there are multitudes of birds in trouble from pollution and habitat issurs of all kinds. For this project, we focused on just two, Barn Owls and Swifts. The constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia feature as do some Perseid meteors. The workshop led up to the Perseid meteor shower. The children were prepared to view, should they have clear skies. They were … Continue reading →

Dark Sky Painting 3 Edu-painting

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  August 25th I gave a presentation about the Heritage of Astronomy in Ireland. The event was part of Heritage Week 2018. The talk emphasised the fact that Mayo has some of the darkest skies in Europe, therefore we should embrace that fact.  Our Neolithic ancestors claimed their heritage moments in standing stones and circles. These incredible menhirs are still tactile in the land today. Their heritage moments linking them for centuries to our star and the dark sky heavens above. The audience agreed to be some of the ingredients of my Dark Sky Painting homage.  The dark sky reminds us of our place on Earth  and in the universe.  The dark sky teaches us that we to are part of the landscape.  It is in our sprits as are the flora and fauna that surrounds us in this beautiful county. Our 2018 heritage week  moment. The Edu- Painting The painting shows the view looking to the north-east and slightly … Continue reading →

Go Observe – The Perseids and a comet

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The Perseid Meteor Shower 2018 Facts The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on the nights of August 11th /12th and 12th / 13th  2017 but any clear evening up to and a few nights after should produce some meteors. Look to the NE after midnight, look under the big W of Cassiopeia , above Perseus. The radiant of the meteor shower is in that area, however keep an eye on a much wider area for Perseids.  Earth will pass through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle from July 17 to Aug 24. Our planet will pass through dust and particles left behind by the comet. Most of these comet particles are only the size of a grain of sand. They hit our atmosphere at approx 59 km per second and burn up.   This year the moon will not interfere with the darkness of the sky as it will be a thin crescent setting before midnight. What do you need to see the … Continue reading →

In the Sky this Week- November 14, 2017

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This entry is part 21 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

The multi-day conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the southeastern predawn sky continues for the next couple days, and will be joined by a waning crescent Moon on the mornings of the 14th- 17th. For an observing challenge, see if you can spot the 1% illuminated Moon near Venus and Jupiter on the morning of the the 17th … here’s hoping for Earthshine! Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades are in the western sky before sunrise. Perseus, Cassiopeia and Cepheus are to the north before sunrise – see if you can spot them! Saturn is just above the treetops to the southwest after sunset, and is only visible for about a half hour before it sets. The Sun After nearly 2 weeks of spotless days, a small active region makes an appearance on the western limb of the Sun. The view from the Solar Dynamics Observatory) in 304 angstroms shows several prominences on the Sun’s limb, and a bright spot on the western limb, … Continue reading →