Perseid Meteor shower for 2010! Aug. 11-13

This is from the scientists at "earth sky"
The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour. 2010 is a great year for the Perseids. This year, the slender waxing crescent moon will set at early evening, leaving a dark sky for this year’s Perseid show. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. These meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains.

This should be really fun if you live in an area without too much light from a  major city. I used to live right outside New York City and , let me tell you, the amount of light from the city really makes a difference. It was never really dark outside at night unless there was a major storm or cloud cover. Now I live in New England in the middle of nowhere and I can see satellites  moving! They look like really slow shooting stars that never fade away. They just move in a great curve past the horizon. Anyway, this is supposed to be a great opportunity for people to see the meteor shower no matter where you are.
On NPR radio on August 11 at 9pm they have a radio show to take outside with you as you lie down and look up at the sky and you can call in, tweet (I HATE TWITTER) or email them from 9 till 11 about what you are seeing. SO set up a lawn chair or two, grab* the radio and a blanket, turn off the lights outside, make some great little snacks, some candles and something to drink and make a picnic out of the night. We only live once! Why not** enjoy something different! So what if you stay up ** past 12. No one is going to punish you for sitting in the backyard quietly looking at the stars (radio on low, if you are worried about sound, but you don't need the radio) Enjoy a ** chance to see the beauty of nature and as it is Summer why not include the kids. You will be amazed how happy they will be lying there waiting for the next star to fall with their family and THEY WILL NEVER FORGET THAT NIGHT. I know from experience that my Mother and Father used to make an event out of things like this and they are the BEST memories of my life. ***
HAVE SOME FUN!!!!!!!!!!
Meow for now,
Catraven =^..^=***   **  ***