Lunar Eclipse this weekend, but not for me.

LUNAR ECLIPSE: This Saturday, August 16th, people on every continent
*except* North America can see a lunar eclipse. At maximum, around 2110
UT (5:10 pm EDT), more than 81% of the Moon will be inside Earth's
shadow, producing a vivid red orb in the night sky visible to the naked
eye even from light-polluted cities. The entire eclipse lasts more
than 3 hours, so there's plenty of time for gazing, drinking coffee,
and taking pictures.



North Americans can watch the eclipse via live webcast beginning 3:30
pm EDT on Saturday afternoon. Eclipse-cam links may be found, along
with time tables, visibility maps, and eclipse photo galleries, at http://spaceweather.com .



PERSEID RECAP: The Perseid meteor shower peaked on August 13th with
maximum rates exceeding 130 meteors per hour. Despite interference
from the bright Moon, it was arguably the best Perseid show in years.

Perseid Meteor Shower

METEOR ALERT:
The Perseid meteor shower is underway and should reach
its peak during the next 24 hours. Forecasters say the best time to
look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th. The
glaring Moon sets around 2:00 a.m., and that's when the Perseids could
appear in numbers as high as 60 per hour. The best displays will be
seen from rural areas with dark skies. Sky maps, photos and more
information are available at http://spaceweather.com.