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METEOR SHOWER TO LIGHT UP NIGHT SKY; COSMIC DISPLAY SET FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK.


Byline: Ivan Sciupac Daily News Staff Writer

Earth is about to take a shower - a meteor shower meteor shower, increase in the number of meteors observed in a particular part of the sky. The trails of the meteors of a meteor shower all appear to be traceable back to a single point in the sky, known as the radiant point, or radiant. .

Late Monday night and early morning Tuesday, the annual Perseid meteor shower - the year's best cosmic display of its kind - reaches its peak.

Assuming no cloud cover, the sky will fill with streaks of light caused by the rain of meteors plunging from the heavens and burning up as it hits the planet's atmosphere.

``If the skies are clear, we may be lucky enough to see two meteors or shooting stars shooting star, in astronomy
shooting star, in astronomy: see meteor.
shooting star, in botany
shooting star, in botany: see primrose.
 per minute,'' said Don Yeomans, senior research scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory “JPL” redirects here. For other uses, see JPL (disambiguation).

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a NASA research center located in the cities of Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, near Los Angeles, California, USA.
 in Pasadena.

Meteors are streaks of light caused by dust-size particles that were shed by comets long ago. When the meteors, most of which are no larger than grains of sand, fall through our atmosphere, they move so fast that the friction with the air causes them to ignite and glow like a flame.

Every August, the Earth travels through the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, causing the Perseid shower for over a month's time.

The best viewing time, astronomers Famous astronomers and astrophysicists include:

Directory: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
  • Marc Aaronson (USA, 1950 – 1987)
  • George Ogden Abell (USA, 1927 – 1983)
 predict, will be shortly after midnight and until dawn, when the Earth orbits into the incoming stream of meteors. The moon will set around midnight, so its glare will be long gone from the sky.

Astronomers recommend that observers view the meteor shower in a dark location, away from the lights of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley

Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills.
. The shower will appear to radiate ra·di·ate
v.
1. To spread out in all directions from a center.

2. To emit or be emitted as radiation.



ra
 from the direction of the constellation Perseus, hence the shower's namesake. Early Tuesday, the constellation will lie in the northeastern sky.

``The meteor shower is one of the more active showers of the year,'' said Patrick So, an astronomer at the Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the . ``We're guaranteed to see a few bright ones which makes it very special.''

Some of the bright meteors may leave a luminous, green or blue trail while others can appear to flame out in yellow or orange colors.

They they pose no danger to the planet, as they burn up hundreds of miles away from the Earth's surface Noun 1. Earth's surface - the outermost level of the land or sea; "earthquakes originate far below the surface"; "three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water"
surface
.

``They're not really a threat,'' Yeomans said, ``but they do take precautions for aircrafts'' such as satellites.

Yeomans said he even expects to see a few fireballs - basketball-size meteors - which last longer and brighter.

Yeomans also said the Perseid meteor shower gives scientists the opportunity to learn more about comets and of what their trails are made. ``It's mostly Mother Nature's way of putting on a pleasing light show,'' he said.

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most popular to observe throughout the year, So said, because of the season of the year. ``Bring a lawn chair, a blanket, refreshments - make the experience nice and comfortable.''
COPYRIGHT 1997 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1997, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Aug 9, 1997
Words:456
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