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August skies hold wonders Date published: 8/9/2007
AUGUST'S DOG days will have no bite compared to what awaits us after dark this month as two major events grace the Fredericksburg area's skies. Meteors associated with a meteor shower will streak across the sky midmonth, and a total lunar eclipse will be visible at the end of the month. Both events are perfectly safe to watch and do not require binoculars or telescopes. Let's first talk about meteor showers. As a comet travels through space and approaches the sun, it sheds particles. When the pieces of comet fragments enter the Earth's atmosphere, they burn and glow due to friction, creating the momentary streaks of light we see Particles in a meteor shower are generally very small, usually no bigger than a grain of sand, so don't worry about them making it to the ground. Meteors that are large enough to reach the ground are called meteorites. They are fairly rare, but they do occur. People may commonly refer to meteor showers as "shooting stars" or "falling stars." But the momentary streaks of light we sometimes see are not associated with stars at all. Several meteor showers occur regularly each year, but the Perseid meteor shower in August is among the best. It is so named because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation (a group of stars) named Perseus. This year's shower during the night of Aug. 12 through the early morning of Aug. 13 will be especially visible since the moon won't be in the sky to spoil the show. Don't worry if you can't identify the constellation Perseus in the night sky. Just look in the northeastern sky between midnight and dawn for the best part of the cosmic fireworks show. Try to get as far away from the city lights as possible. Grab a lawn chair, insect repellent, and a blanket to keep you comfortable. As your eyes become adapted to the dark, you will see meteors radiating from a point in the northeastern sky, an effect similar to driving in a snowstorm at night with your headlights on. If you're lucky, you will see at least one meteor per minute, but meteor showers sometimes exceed predictions.
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