The Perseids meteor shower peaks on Monday night August 11/Tueday morning August 12 this year. On a good year upwards of 100 meteors per hour can be seen. 2014, however, is not a good year since this date coincides with a nearly full moon that will be in the sky all night, making dimmer members of the shower difficult to see. Because of this, Mitzpe Ramon decided not to hold the town's usual Perseids Star Party which usually attracts over 9,000 people.
After much back-and-forth deliberation and some phone calls from people who asked me to have a star party, I have decided to continue my tradition of hosting my own star party in Mitzpe Ramon on Monday night August 11 starting at 9:00PM. Only the brighter members of the meteor shower that outshine the moon will be visible, but it should still be a memorable event.
I will have telescopes, giant binoculars and chairs set up at a location where you can camp for the night. I will start my star tour presentation at 9:30PM and continue remarks throughout the night. Bring binoculars, camp mats, and sleeping bags to stay comfortable at night, especially if you want to stay the night. This location has no water or bathroom facilities (other than the great outdoors), so plan accordingly. And remember that the desert is always cold at night, even on the summer.
I will be located at an easy to find camp ground above and behind Mitzpe Ramon.
Enter Mitzpe Ramon at the main entrance at the traffic circle/round about on Route 40. You are on Ben Gurion Boulevard. Continue through town on that street and on behind town on a narrow road into the dark. You will pass Silent Arrow on your right, then the turn off to the Alpaca Farm and the Field School. Continue going straight for about 1 km. You will see a forest on your left. Just past a yellow sign on the right that asks you to dim your lights for the Observatory, you turn left onto a short dirt road and go around the forest. I will be set up on the plateau about 100 yards down. If you come to the end of the road at the Observatory, you went too far. Turn around (carefully) and go back about 1/4 of a mile.
What: Perseids Star Party 2014 in Mitzpe Ramon
When: August 11, 2014, Monday night
Where: Mitzpe Ramon (See map above)
Time: 9:00pm
Cost: 50nis/person; no charge under 8 years old
Contact: machefsky at gmail dot com
Phone: 052-544-9789
Reservations recommended
Book A Star Tour Now
Showing posts with label Perseid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perseid. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Perseids Meteor Shower Star Party!! August 11-12!!!
The ever-reliable Perseids Meteor Shower peaks this year on the nights of August 11 and 12. During those nights, and especially after midnight, the shower can show as many as 100 meteors per hour, although this is the maximum theoretical number. Realistic numbers are more in the range of 40-60 meteors per hour under very dark skies. This will be a good year for the meteor shower since the moon sets early in the evening leaving the sky dark all night.
There are a number of star parties where you can come and watch the event. The most crucial conditions for a good show are a dark sky and clear horizon. So, what better place to view it than the dark, desert skies of Mitzpe Ramon? Mitzpe Ramon will have its own traditional star party on Monday night-Tueday morning, August 12 and 13. This star party attracts thousands of people from around Israel. Last year over 9,000 people attended. Although this sounds like a zoo, it was actually quite alot of fun, and everything was quite orderly and joyful. This may be the largest star party in the world. And if you've never heard 9,000 people cheer when a fireball flashes overhead, well, you've never lived.
If you want something a bit more intimate, on the previous night, Sunday, August 11 through the morning of Monday August 12, I will be hosting my own star party in conjunction with the Desert Shade Eco-Lodge in Mitzpe Ramon. I will be doing both naked eye and telescope star shows throughout the night until after 1:00AM, after which we can all sit back and watch the sky blaze with meteors. I will also be showing my video of the great Chelyabinsk Meteor that fell over Russia on February 15 of this year, cutting a huge swatch of destruction in its wake. To complement the video I will have a "show and hold" presentation of actual meteorites from space, including a genuine piece of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. The "piece de resistance" of my collection is a piece of the actual "Tohu va'Vohu" (See Beresheet 1:2) from which our solar system began over 5 billion years ago. It's more fun than a freak show and alot kinder to the children! We will also have a campfire around midnight and all the tea you can drink. Admission includes camping all night as well as use of the bathroom facilities. Bring your own sleeping bags, tents, camprolls, etc.
Admission: 80nis per person, includes all night camping privileges, hot tea all night, bathroom facilities, camp fire, all presentations.
There are a number of star parties where you can come and watch the event. The most crucial conditions for a good show are a dark sky and clear horizon. So, what better place to view it than the dark, desert skies of Mitzpe Ramon? Mitzpe Ramon will have its own traditional star party on Monday night-Tueday morning, August 12 and 13. This star party attracts thousands of people from around Israel. Last year over 9,000 people attended. Although this sounds like a zoo, it was actually quite alot of fun, and everything was quite orderly and joyful. This may be the largest star party in the world. And if you've never heard 9,000 people cheer when a fireball flashes overhead, well, you've never lived.
If you want something a bit more intimate, on the previous night, Sunday, August 11 through the morning of Monday August 12, I will be hosting my own star party in conjunction with the Desert Shade Eco-Lodge in Mitzpe Ramon. I will be doing both naked eye and telescope star shows throughout the night until after 1:00AM, after which we can all sit back and watch the sky blaze with meteors. I will also be showing my video of the great Chelyabinsk Meteor that fell over Russia on February 15 of this year, cutting a huge swatch of destruction in its wake. To complement the video I will have a "show and hold" presentation of actual meteorites from space, including a genuine piece of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. The "piece de resistance" of my collection is a piece of the actual "Tohu va'Vohu" (See Beresheet 1:2) from which our solar system began over 5 billion years ago. It's more fun than a freak show and alot kinder to the children! We will also have a campfire around midnight and all the tea you can drink. Admission includes camping all night as well as use of the bathroom facilities. Bring your own sleeping bags, tents, camprolls, etc.
EVENT
What: Perseids Meteor Shower Star Party
When: Sunday night through Monday morning, August 11-12
Where: Desert Shade Eco-Lodge Mitzpe Ramon
Activities: Naked eye and telescopic star tours by Ira Machefsky, the Starman of Mitzpe Ramon; All night camping included in price of entry; Movie of the Great Chelyabinsk Fireball that crashed over Russia on Feb. 15 of this year; "Show and Hold" presentation of actual Rocks from Space together with the most primitive meteorite ever discovered, a piece of the "Tohu va'Vohu" of our world; Camp fire; and of course meteor watching all night long.
Language: EnglishAdmission: 80nis per person, includes all night camping privileges, hot tea all night, bathroom facilities, camp fire, all presentations.
Upgrades: Price for star tour & over night in dorm eco tent 125 Nis per person
Price for star tour & over night in private eco tent 165 Nis per person ( MIN 2 PAX PER ECO TENT)
Vegetarian food will be available to purchase.
Optional sun rise jeep desert safari for just 240 NIS
For more details & reservation
Reservations Required: info@desert-shade.com |
| A meteor shower occurs when the earth in its orbit around the sun encounters the orbit of an old comet. Comets slowly disintegrate as they orbit the sun, leaving behind a trail of cometary debris that consists of varying size rocks, dust and debris. When the arth encounters this material, it enters the earth's atmosphere at very high speed where friction causes it to burn up. The fiery remains are seen as meteors in the sky. The larger the debris, the brighter the meteor. The Perseids Meteor Shower is the result of the earth encountering the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. |
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