An important event to celebrate is coming after a long time; the Perseid meteor shower. Actually, these are one of year's best & reliable meteors, with upto 50-60 streaks per hour, they leave persistent trains behind.
Shower best on the early hours of August 11 / 12 & 12 / 13. This year, the slender waxing crescent moon will set at early evening, leaving a dark sky for this year’s Perseid show. We are very lucky in this aspect, and can expect a great show if skies and conditions are clear!
Parent Comet : 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Radiant : http://earthsky.org/tonight/wheres-the-radiant-point-for-the-perseids
Visual observing - Splendid meteor showers like this are best seen lying down on the ground gazing up naked-eye night long & keeping a track of details like direction, length and color of the shooting stars. We plan to make detailed observations of this. Get a bedsheet and pen / notepad.
Astro-photography - Anyone with a camera of long time exposures can attempt luck catching meteors on film / chip. A SLR or DSLR mounted on a tripod, or manual / motorized tracking, could help get an occasional meteor or its flare, if pointed in the right direction. Plain luck matters!
General - Even though this is going to be primarily a meteor shower observation event, those fascinated by the grand sight of Milky-Way or the Deep-Sky will surely be hooked with their telescopes and binoculars gazing at the other celestial wonders that pass in the night. We have a great line-up of planets in the evening sky, we can observe all 8 planets this night (!) and endless deepsky objects throughout the night.
Disclaimer - We are not responsible for bad weather. We can only take a chance, this still being the monsoon August. You are obviously free to sleep or discuss astronomy in such an adverse condition! However, based on past experiences at the observing site, we have witnessed several "holes in the cloudy sky". Keep praying, and stay optimistic!
Location - Hosahalli, 70km North from B'lore (25km from Dodballapur town)
Timing - All night of 13th August, Friday (departure city on Friday 4pm and arrival Saturday 9am)
Transport - Participants are requested to get their own cars. We are not arranging any transport. Car-pooling will be helpful, especially since we will be carrying observers and equipment. We will need volunteers offering adequate transport.
Equipment - Please get your own binoculars, cameras & telescopes suitably. We will carry BAS 6-inch Dob scope and my 25x100 binoculars for general observing.
Misc - Dinner could be arranged for max 15 people at a local village house. If the participant list stays upto 10, we can use the Hosahalli Govt School ground with some shelter & sanitation for observation. If it exceeds 10 we will have to head to an open ground somewhere without shelter & proper sanitation facility. Get your own winter-wear just as a back-up, in case it gets really chilly.
Contact - Amar A. Sharma - 9535098126 / amar10sharma@gmail.com [Deadline before Thursday 12th August by midnight]