Shooting Stars, Viewing Only

Every year in August, the Earth passes through rock and dust fragments left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle the last time it came near the Sun.  As these small particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn-up, often creating a bright and sometimes lasting streak of light across the late night/pre-dawn sky.  And, class, these are called…?  That’s right!  Meteors!  Meteorites are the bits that actually make it through the atmosphere and end up on Earth. 

Although every year sees over a dozen predictable meteor showers, Perseids is considered by most to be the most impressive.  This tells us the Swift-Tuttle was one messy comet, and that’s a good thing!

Why is it called the Perseids?

The term “Perseid”, refers to the star constellation of Perseus. The meteors actually have nothing to do with the stars we see from Earth.  It just appears as though the meteors originate from Perseus.  However, these rock fragments are close to the Earth; just a few hundred miles, not many, many light years distant like the stars. But if you trace back the bright trails of meteors we see, they appear to originate from the stars of Perseus. 

When can you see them?

The Perseids meteor shower starts in late July and runs to late August.  However, the best time to view is around the peak, which is expected to be Wednesday, August 12^th.  However, it’s very worthwhile to observe either before or after this date, which is why we picked Friday.  This year there will be a half Moon to contend with, but meteor sightings are almost guaranteed in spite of that.

So, grab your hiking poles and whatever comforts you can carry, and join us for a unique adventure!

Our Plans:
Both carpools will depart at 7 PM.

The campers plan to leave the campsite by 11 and will meet up with the non-campers on top of the bald.  If anyone has walkie talkies that could be helpful (please let us know), since we need to NOT use headlamps or flashlights. 

When we reach the top of the mountain, expect to see a number of Astronomy geeks out; we hear Brasstown Bald is pretty popular with stargazers!  John will be bringing his telescope, yay!

We’ll have a midnight picnic and enjoy eachother’s company.  While there is no charge for the viewing event, the campers may have some goodies to share; please pitch in a small donation if you'd like to partake.   

Those of us who brought a Thermarest or woobie can spread it on the ground, lie back and get ready for the light show! 

We will probably stay on top of the mountain 'til close to sunrise, and then the campers will head back to camp and crash for however long we want. 

The non-campers can either head back to the carpool or find somewhere to get some breakfast on the way.  Please find your carpool driver according to your timeframe.

One member has expressed interest in maybe finding another AOCer or two to rent a cabin in the area, then possibly joining us for a hike on Saturday.  Please note:  We like to keep groups of no more than 16-18 on a hike, but since we have 4 trip leaders, we may have some options.