You're in luck — it's a particularly good year for viewing the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this week and is widely considered to be the best annual shooting star show.
"It is usually the strongest one of the year, so you see more meteors per minute than other meteor showers," says J. Randy Attwood, executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
"This is the one in the year where I would say that it would be worth someone's while to make an effort to see it."
The best times to watch it are expected to be after midnight on Tuesday (early Wednesday morning) and Wednesday (early Thursday morning.)
This year is better than most for viewing the Perseids, as Aug. 14 is a new moon, so there will no "light pollution" in the form of moonlight to wash out the fainter meteors.
Here are some tips for catching the most falling stars:
Go someplace dark
If you're up at the cottage or camping, you should "definitely" look for this meteor shower, Attwood says.
"If you can get outside the city, the darker the sky the better."
NASA says if you're somewhere with a dark sky, you can expect up to 100 meteors per hour at the very peak of the meteor shower. That may include some particularly bright ones known as fireballs that the Perseids are known for.
Attwood says it's more typical to see a meteor every couple of minutes or 25 to 30 per hour during the peak of the Perseids, although you may only see one every hour or two if you're in an urban area like Toronto that's flooded with artificial light.
Try to catch the peak
The meteor shower is expected to peak at 4 a.m. ET or 1 a.m. PT on Aug. 13, according to NASA.
While you'll see the most meteors early Wednesday and early Thursday morning, there should be an above-average number of them already, right through to Aug. 24.
Also, there may be other periods when you can see an unexpectedly high number of meteors.
That's because the meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through a trail of dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which can be thicker in some places than others.
"There's a chance you might get a few hours where we're going through one of these thicker, denser clumps of material, so you'll get more meteors," Attwood said.
Watch after midnight
Whether it's the peak night or not, you'll see more meteors in the early morning than the late evening.
The geometry means you'll see more meteors, just as you'll see more bugs hitting the front windshield of the car than the side or back windows.
Later in the night, the part of the sky where the meteors originate will also be higher overhead, giving you a better view, NASA says.
Look toward Perseus and Casseiopeia
The meteors will streak across the sky at about 60 kilometres per second from near the constellation Perseus that the meteor shower is named for.
NASA recommends lying with your feet pointing toward the northeast, with a view of as much of the sky as possible.
"You don't need telescopes or binoculars," he says.
Be patient
NASA suggests that you give your eyes 30 minutes to fully adjust to the darkness to improve your chance of seeing meteors.
And if it happens to be cloudy on the night you hoped to see the meteor shower, don't worry. Try again the next night.
Jackson, Missouri - Saint Francis Medical Center welcomes primary care physician Laura E. Glueck, DO, as a new Medical Partner. She joins fellow primary care physician Kennett D. Asher, DO, CMD, at Jackson Family Care, 545 Broadridge Dr., Jackson.
An Oak Ridge native, Glueck completed her bachelor’s degree at University of Missouri-Columbia, and earned her medical degree from A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo. She later completed her family medicine internship and residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northeast in Jonesboro, Ark. Board certified in family medicine, her clinical interest is caring for people of all ages, from newborns to older adults.
“Dr. Glueck’s new insights on primary care will be a welcome addition to the Jackson Family Care practice,” says Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Medical Center. “Patients of all ages in Jackson will greatly benefit from her comprehensive, compassionate approach to care.”
For more information on Dr. Glueck or Jackson Family Care, call 573-331-3996.
Saint Francis Medical Center is a 289-bed facility serving more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center with Convenient Care; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.
Route P in Cape Girardeau and Stoddard Counties will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs.
This section of roadway is located from Missouri Route 25 in Cape County and Missouri Route 91 in Stoddard County.
Weather permitting, work will performed Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Wednesday, Aug. 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
For additional information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Medical Center welcomes neurosurgeon Kaywan (Kev) Gamadia, DO, as a new Saint Francis Medical Partner. He joins fellow neurosurgeon Brandon J. Scott, DO, at the Cape Spine & Neurosurgery practice.
Gamadia earned his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo., and later completed his neurosurgical residency at Ohio University in Dayton, Ohio. He has extensive neurosurgical training, and his clinical interests include the treatment of spine abnormalities and brain tumors, using minimally invasive surgical techniques, traditional procedures and disc replacement.
“Another knowledgeable neurosurgeon at Cape Spine & Neurosurgery will greatly benefit patients in the region,” says Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Medical Center. “We welcome Dr. Gamadia’s talents and his ability to help patients find relief from chronic pain, so they can get back to their active lives more quickly.”
Prior to joining Saint Francis, Gamadia served as a neurosurgeon at Neurosurgical Associates of North Texas in Fort Worth, Texas.
For more information about Dr. Gamadia or Cape Spine & Neurosurgery, call 573-331-3996.
Saint Francis Medical Center is a 289-bed facility serving more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center with Convenient Care; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.
School buses are nearly eight times safer than passenger vehicles; however, a majority of bus-related deaths and injuries that do occur involve pedestrians - mostly children - who are struck by a bus or injured when they are exiting the bus to cross traffic.
Make every trip to and from school a safe one by following these guidelines:
Always stay in sight of the bus driver.
Don't hurry off the bus. Make sure to check traffic first.
Don't go back to the bus after exiting.
The Safe Routes to School program makes bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative. By encouraging more students to walk, wheel or bike to school, the program encourages a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.
During the month of August, at times when MoDOT's digital message signs are not being used to convey critical information to motorists, the signs will be used to reinforce safe driving practices for back to school:
Safe Routes to School projects include sidewalk improvements, traffic calming, pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, bicycle parking facilities and traffic diversion - http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/.
