How to see one of the best meteor showers of the year: the Perseids
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mystery sky sighting could be dumped rocket fuel
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Stargazers were looking up Tuesday night hoping to see the Perseid meteor shower. Many of them saw something unexpected. 'I thought it was aliens,' said Ashley Robison, a De Soto resident. 'It wasn't the moon, and it was swirling.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Multiple sightings of the swirling object were shared on social media and speculation skyrocketed. 'It kind of looks like a possible UFO,' De Soto resident William White said. One possible explanation is that spent rocket fuel turned into ice crystals at an extremely high altitude. There were two rocket launches on Tuesday. One involved the military and the other involved a weather satellite. 'I actually still have goosebumps': Family of 3-year-old who died at daycare reacts to charges 'I thought it was really odd,' said Laura Sanders, another De Soto resident. 'I'm not really sure what it is.' White said his curiosity about the atmosphere is growing. He said, 'It really makes you wonder what all is out there.' A spokesperson for the St. Louis Science Center said anyone interested in learning more about what's visible in the night sky can attend Planetarium Star Shows held Thursdays through Mondays. A weekly Night Sky blog also provides additional information. The Science Center is also hosting its next monthly free telescope viewing event on Sept. 5 at the Planetarium, weather and skies permitting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
What was in the sky? Witnesses, experts speculate on strange sightings captured on camera
Missourians who had their eyes to the skies Tuesday night in hopes of catching the Perseid meteor shower, were surprised to see something much bigger than a shooting star. Witnesses all across the Show-Me State, and in Kansas and Illinois, took to social media to share what they captured, and to ask, 'What did I just see?' 'It looks like a portal trying to open up,' said Rex Howlett as he was recording from Waynesville, Missouri, Tuesday night. Despite most agreeing it was a man-made object traveling across our skies, there is ongoing debate over whether it was a satellite or rocket, and who it belongs to. Some speculated it was a satellite, a drone, a rocket, or something even stranger, like aliens or a UFO. Daniel Bush, a Missouri photography enthusiast, captured a timelapse of what he first called a 'fuel dump' as it traveled above Albany, Missouri. Bush tells Ozarks First on Wednesday there is ongoing debate among experts, so he can't be sure as to what happened or what it was. As speculation continues, some online are pointing to a Vulcan Rocket that was launched last night as part of it's first mission for the U.S. Space Force. The United Launch Alliance was touting the success of the launch from Cape Canaveral Tuesday night, describing it on Facebook as the 'First National Security Space Launch aboard Vulcan rocket delivers USSF-106 spacecraft directly to GEO.' However, the sightings were likely none of those theories, according to an astronomer interviewed by CBS News. In CBS News' coverage Wednesday, Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, said the timing and trajectory of the Vulcan Rocket would not have lead to people in the Midwest witnessing its launch into space Tuesday night. Instead, he told CBS News that he believes the sightings were likely that of a different rocket launched by the European Space Agency around the same time. 'ArianeSpace, a company that works with the ESA, said it launched an Ariane 6 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, around 9:37 p.m. local time,' CBS News reports. Pitts told CBS the rocket was carrying weather satellites into orbit, and it's flight path could have been close enough to the East Coast for people on the ground to see it clearly. While we wait for real confirmation, its a reminder that despite the thrill of theories conspiracies, sometimes the least exciting explanation is the correct one. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Why This Weekend May Be The Best Time To See The Perseid Meteor Shower
The annual Perseid meteor shower may have peaked overnight on Monday and Tuesday, but it did so in a night sky bleached by strong moonlight that blotted out many of the fainter 'shooting stars.' Although the peak rate of meteors has since reduced, a darker sky this weekend may mean lingering Perseids are visible at night. The annual Perseid meteor shower peaked earlier this week, but the waning gibbous moon moves out of the evening sky this weekend, potentially making more meteors visible. . (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) VCG via Getty Images The Perseid meteor shower, one of the highlights of the stargazing calendar, can produce up to 75 'shooting stars' per hour in a dark, moonless night sky. The 84%-lit waning gibbous moon, which lessened the Perseids' impact on Monday night, will have reduced in brightness by the weekend and will rise around midnight, creating a window of moonless darkness beforehand. The radiant point of the Perseids is the constellation Perseus, which, from the Northern Hemisphere, rises in the northeast as the sky darkens during August. However, 'shooting stars' can be seen anywhere in the night sky. The Perseid meteor shower is caused by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun and hasn't been in the inner solar system since 1992. At 16 miles (26 kilometers) across, it's bigger than the object that killed the dinosaurs, according to NASA. The best advice for viewing the most meteor showers is to escape from light pollution by using a light pollution map or by heading to a certified Dark Sky Place — be sure to check the weather forecast for a clear sky. According to NASA, the best way to observe a meteor shower is to find a location with a clear view of the night sky. Have warm layers, bug spray, snacks, drinks, and plenty of patience. Don't look at a smartphone — its light will remove your night vision for at least 20 minutes. When To See The Perseids And The Pleiades If you're outside after dark looking for Perseids on Friday, Aug. 15 and Saturday, Aug. 16, watch for the moon to rise in the east. It will be positioned very close to the Pleiades, also known as M45, one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky. An open cluster of stars about 445 light-years from the solar system, the Pleiades looks fabulous with the naked eye. However, using binoculars reveals many more stars arranged in a shape that resembles a mini Big Dipper. If you stay up into the early hours this weekend, you'll see the best of the 'planet parade' currently in the news. Jupiter and Venus are easily visible, rising in the east, while Saturn is located in the south. Just before the light of dawn begins to overwhelm the planets, a fourth will appear due east — Mercury. Although it's been technically in the night sky for a few days, it's this weekend when it becomes easiest to see, though only for a few mornings before it's once again lost in the sun's glare. Further Reading Forbes See The Perseid Meteor Shower Now Before It Peaks, Experts Say By Jamie Carter Forbes The Perseid Meteor Shower Begins Thursday: When To See It At Its Best By Jamie Carter Forbes The Perseid Meteor Shower Begins Thursday: When To See It At Its Best By Jamie Carter
