The Perseid meteor show is an annual astronomy event that happens on Earth between mid- July and late August. In 2017, the Perseids will be peaking on August 12th, with the best viewing being August 11-13! Many meteors will be visible in the night sky as Earth passes through the debris trail left by the passage of comet Sift-Tuttle. This years showers should have up to one hundred meteors per hour and the best time to view them is the dark hours before dawn.
The best way for most kids to learn something is to let them experience it, and the universe is about to deliver a wonderful teaching tool right to our very doorstep! A comet named Pan-STARRS is reaching the inner solar system as we speak, and it's proving to be quite a good show in the Southern Hemisphere already. It should be visible in the Northern Hemisphere very soon - bright enough to see with the naked eye! This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to explore the mystery of comets, and have the expierence the appearance of one as it happens. Comet watching will be something to do with your kids every night at dusk for the next month or so.
An astronomical transit is when one atronomical body can be viewed passing in front of another astronomical body from a vantage point on Earth. We can view moons transiting Jupiter or other planets, and even watch transits of the space station across our own moon! On June 5, 2012 at sunset on the East Coast of North America the planet Venus will make its final transit across the face of the sun as seen from Earth until the year 2117. This is an exciting astronomical event that kids will love to experience, especially if they are into space and science!
Do you have a space cadet in your family? No, not somebody who's spaced out - somebody who is genuinely interested in space exploration and the study of all things extraterrestrial! Well, North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club has a great program for kids to nurture their interest and maybe even win a really cool prize!
