Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Moon likely to obscure comet dust

(NEWSER) - The annual Orionid meteor shower will peak just before dawn on Friday and Saturday this week —although the sight won't be as amazing in years past, astronomers say. The meteor shower—caused by Earth passing through a cloud of dust left behind by Halley's comet—will be hard to spot because of the large, waning crescent moon, experts say, but people who happen to be up at around 5 am either day might catch a glimpse, especially if they live away from city lights. More»

Annual Perseid shower should be dazzling

(NEWSER) - Your local weather permitting, the annual Perseid meteor shower should light up the skies in the wee hours tonight, reports the Christian Science Monitor . The usual caveats apply—like the further you can get from the lights of the big city, the better your show. Best bet is to start checking after midnight, but for specifics, the CSM points to this nifty tool from NASA in which you can plug in the biggest nearby city for peak viewing times. And if you miss tonight, try again tomorrow night. More»

Star Droid helps cellphone astronomers with GPS, maps, tags

(NEWSER) - Budding astronomers will soon have a new cell-phone tool that spots the stars they’re looking for, the Telegraph reports. Google’s Star Droid helps stargazers navigate the night sky using GPS technology that cross-references the user’s position with existing space maps, and adds identifying tags to the heavenly bodies that can be seen through the phone’s viewfinder. No release date has been announced. More»

Unique opportunity for viewing Quadrantids

(NEWSER) - The most exciting space show of 2008 might well be the Quadrantid meteor shower's peak at 1:40 a.m. EST tomorrow, Space.com reports. Though factors such as moonlight and weather usually obscure the annual spectacle, a rural observer this year may see one or two shooting stars per minute. Eastern North America and Western Europe are prime viewing positions. More»

(NEWSER) - Comet debris will light up the sky tomorrow night and Monday morning with shooting stars as Earth passes through the Perseid meteor shower. For the best view, pick a dark spot away from city lights and look east, says the Discovery Channel. "It's going to be a great show," a NASA expert advises. The showers will start around 9 PM EDT tomorrow night and peak at 2 AM Monday morning. More»