Sorry about the late post. The peak of this year's Perseids Meteor Shower will fall as usual on the night of Monday August 12 and the early morning hours of Tuesday August 13. This year's peak comes just two days before the full moon. That moon looks full and is just about as bright as the full moon two days later. This means the bright moonlight will interfere with seeing the meteor shower. How much, no one knows. Alot depends on sky conditions which are unpredictable.
Nevertheless, Mitzpe is having it's usual Perseid's Star Party, a large gathering of people to view the meteor shower and enjoy the night sky. There will also be many astronomers with their telescopes to view the best sights of the night, which include the planets Jupiter and Saturn and, of course, the moon itself. There will also be astronomy talks and presentations in Hebrew. The star party takes place in the Spice Routes Quarter of Mitzpe Ramon, whose lights will be turned off so we can enjoy the night sky. Admission is free,
We will be participating in the star party and not having our regular star our on August 12. Our regular star tours resume on August 13. Presentations at the star party begin at 6:30pm. The sky gets dark enough to see between 8:00pm and 8:30pm. Below is a schedule of events in Hebrew. I couldn't find an English version.
Schedule of events in Mitzpe Ramon for the Perseids Meteor Shower Star Party 2019
The best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids, peaks this year (2018) on Sunday night August 12 into early Monday morning August 13. The shower has peak rates of over 100 meteors per hour, and since it occurs in the warm summer months is a popular summer star gazing activity. To help celebrate the event Mitzpe Ramon is turning off all its town lights after 10:00pm and hopefully the other lights from military bases in the area to create an especially dark sky. The darker the sky, the more meteors we see. Mitzpe also holds a town star party which this year will be located in the Machtesh to avoid over crowding the town with the thousands of people who usually come to see the event. During the day up to 20:00 there will be various astronomical events and free lectures around town. Details here. Hotels fill up quickly so if you are coming you should reserve your rooms immediately.
Astronomy Israel will be having its own star party on August 12 with special star party pricing of 75nis/person over the age of 6, no charge under 6. This is a big discount from our regular star tour prices, but we want every one to be able to come and enjoy the show. We will be out most of the night from dusk until whenever. This is an especially good year for the Perseids since there is no moon in the sky, as the moon is new on Sunday night and sets with the sun. A bright moon severely interferes with seeing the dimmer meteors in a shower. This year we will be doing both Hebrew and English tours of the night sky during the star party, with my co-pilot Ziv handling the Hebrew tour.
We are pleased to be holding this year's star party in conjunction with the Alpaca Farm of Mitzpe Ramon who will be hosting the star party and providing camping accommodations to guests. They will also be selling drinks, snacks and, food. Camping at the Alpaca Farm is 120nis, including Alpaca Farm entrance fees. (Bring your own sleeping bags and tent, the Alpaca Farm is just providing the space.) A super-special discount for the star party: 25nis/person (6 years old and up, no charge under 6) if you sign up for the star tour together with camping at the Farm. Contact the Alpaca Farm to arrange for camping with them, not me. Mention the star party if you want to sign up for the special Alpaca Farm star party price. Those staying elsewhere should sign up directly for the star party at my booking site. The cost is 75nis/person (6 years old and up) if you are staying elsewhere. No entrance fee to the Farm if you book the star party directly at my booking site. To contact the Alpaca Farm:
Phone: +972-52-897-7010
Email: office@alpaca.co.il
Web site: www.alpaca.co.il
The Alpaca Farm is just 5 minutes behind Mitzpe Ramon, down Ben Gurion Boulevard, the main road into Mitzpe Ramon.
To book the star party directly if you are staying elsewhere, click the button below:
Meteors are what most people call "shooting stars" or "falling stars", but they are neither. They are bits of rock and debris from outer space that fall to earth and burn up from the heat of friction with the earth's atmosphere. It's their light generated by friction with the earth's atmosphere that we see. Usually these rocks from space just fall randomly so we only see a few per night. But sometimes the earth passes through the orbit of an ancient comet, which disintegrates as it orbits the sun and leaves a debris trail behind. As the earth passes through this cometary debris trail scores of particles fall to earth simultaneously creating a meteor shower. Really good showers like the Perseids can have peak rates in excess of 100 meteors per hour. Of course most of these are quite dim, but many bright ones are also visible creating "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs" from the onlookers.
As the earth passes through the orbit of an ancient comet debris rains down of our planet creating a meteor shower.
Israel is ideally placed this year to view the shower as the peak falls during the early morning hours of August 13 in this part of the world. Meteor scientists are also predicting a mini-peak around 11:00PM on August 12 as the earth passes through a small stream of particles left behing by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the comet that is the origin of the debris that makes up the Perseids Meteor shower. Make sure to be out by then.
Most meteors are quite tiny, minuscule even, about the size of a grain of sand. Of course, we don't see an object that small in the sky, we just see the tremendous light generated as they burn up from friction. They begin to become visible at heights of around 50 miles to 175 miles high. But sometimes enormous objects fall to earth. Most recently the Great Chelyabinsk Meteor fell to earth on February 15, 2013, over the town of Chelyabinsk Russia. It was 60 feet in diameter and weighed over 12,000 tons when it entered the earth's atmosphere at a speed in excess of 100,000 MPH. It was the largest meteor to fall to earth in over 100 years and was captured by numerous dashboard cameras. I put together a compendium of the videos on YouTube, and it is one of the most dramatic astronomical events of recent memory:
If meteors are large enough they can survive their fiery fall through the earth's atmosphere and hit the ground, as the Chelyabinsk Meteor did. They then change their name to meteorites and can be found, collected and researched. They are primordial pieces of the solar system, over 4 billion years old. As usual I will have my large bag of magic "rocks from space" with me, and you will be able to hold real "shooting stars" in your hand. Also, as usual, we will be raffling off free meteorites every hour (retail value 50nis), and Yes, if you don't win one and really want to take one home we will sell them to you if you insist.
Two of the meteorite pairs we will be raffling at the star party: A Tektite (left)) and a fragment of the Campo del Cielo (right).
Meteors can be observed from any dark sky location and no optical equipment is needed or even desirable. They can appear anywhere in the sky so the best place to see them is a dark sky location with open horizons. Just lie down on the ground and look up. That's why Mitzpe Ramon is such a popular location for viewing them. People often ask me where is a dark sky location besides Mitzpe and my answer is, "I don't know." I do almost all my observing from Mitzpe. You know your own area better than I do.My impression is that in the center of the country along Route 35 and 38 there are a number of parks where the sky may be suitably dark, but I've never observed from there myself.
If you trace the path of meteors in a shower back from their source they appear to emanate from a single location in the sky, a particular constellation, called the "radiant" of the shower. The Perseids appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, just below Cassiopeia. as the radiant rises higher in the sky more meteors are seen. That happens after midnight in August which is why the early morning hours are usually the best for viewing the meteor shower.
Time lapse photo of meteors appearing to emanate from the "radiant" in the constellation Perseus.
Although the peak of the shower is very sharp there is also a great increase in the number of meteors a few days before and a few days after the peak. This chart is an illustration of the the prediction of the rates for the shower in 2016:
Predicted Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of the Perseids in 2016
As you can see from the above chart while the peak is quite sharp, which is why people try to come on the night of the peak, these is still quite an uptick in meteors 3-4 days before and after the peak and sometimes even longer than that, with rates in the 30 or so per hour, still far more than are seen on an average night. Of course most of these are quite dim, but there are still a few bright ones, fireballs, that make the night memorable, so it is also worth coming for a look at the shower a few days before or after the peak, although predicting what you will actually see then is impossible. But the sky will still be quite dark as there will still be no bright moon in the sky.
You can book our Perseids Star Party Tour by clicking this button:
Mitzpe Ramon will hold its annual Perseid's Meteor Star Party tonight Thursday August 11, 2016. The event will be held in the soccer stadium at the main entrance to town beginning at 8:00pm and lasting until dawn. About 10,000 people from all over Israel are expected to attend. Many people camp out for the night. Just find some open ground and throw down a blanket or tent. If you've never heard 10,000 people cheer when a bright meteor passes overhead, you're in for a treat.
These grape-nuts kernels are a good proxy for the size of many meteors. The bright light you see in the sky is called a "meteor". The object that causes it is a "meteoroid" while still in the sky. If it hits the ground it's called a "meteorite". The streak of light we see in the sky is caused by the friction of the meteoroid with the earth's atmosphere, which causes the atmosphere to heat up and glow by incandescence. Meteoroids can be travelling at cosmic velocities in excess of 100,000 mph when they enter the earth's atmosphere.
This year is expected to be very favorable for the meteor shower, since the earth will pass through the center of the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, resulting in perhaps twice the normal rate of other years. NASA has predicted a peak of 200 meteors per hour, instead of the usual 100 or so. Of course we're dealing with Mother Nature here so all predictions are jut estimates. Mother Nature can always surprise. The peak of the shower is expected to fall between midnight and dawn Israel local time on the night of August 11-morning of August 12, so times between midnight and dawn tonight are optimal. Also, the moon sets around midnight tonight, leaving the sky dark for the expected peak of the shower.
Predicted rates of the Perseid's Meteor Shower. The Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) is the number of meteors that can be seen when the radiant of the shower in the constellation Perseus is overhead. You will be able to seee Perseids throught most of the month of August, but as you can see the hourly rate quickly falls in the days following the peak.
Mitzpe Ramon turns off all its lights and the lights in the surrounding area, so the sky should be especially dark. There are usually food and drink vendors nearby, so no one should go hungry or thirsty. Admission is free.
If you can't make it to Mitzpe Ramon, find the darkest local site you can with an open horizon on all sides. You need no optical aids to view a meteor shower. Your naked eyes are best. Throw a blanket on the ground and look straight up. Good viewing tonight!
We are on the run-up to the great Perseid's Meteor Shower Star Party in Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, starting at sunset on August 12 and running into the wee hours of the morning of August 13. The star party is held on the infield of the soccer stadium at the main entrance to town. Admission is free. There will be dozens of Israeli astronomers present with their telescopes, and presentations are held throughout the night in Hebrew. The town turns out all of its lights, as do all of the military facilities in the area, making our already dark skies darker than ever. Thousands of people attend, and it is all a great party and fun celebration. If you haven't heard 10,000 people cheer when a bright meteor flashes overhead, you just haven't lived!
I will be there with my telescopes and will be holding a drawing to give away genuine meteor fragments every hour from 8pm to 12pm, 5 chances to win the no-cost lottery. All you have to do is show up at my booth, get a lottery ticket and get lucky!
Join Starman Ira at the Great Perseid's Meteor Shower in Mitzpe Ramon on August 12, 2015, sunset to whenever...Free drawing to give away a meteorite fragment every. hour from 8:00pm - 12:00pm in my booth
Of course, the "star" of the star party is the Perseids Meteor Shower which peaks that night with up to 60 meteors per hour visible in the wee hours of the morning. Please join us for this fun and entertaining event. Lear about meteors and meteorites, and if you're lucky, take a piece of star dust home!
The Great Mitzpe Ramon Perseid's Meteor Star Party, August 12, 2015
The Geminids meteor shower peaks this Saturday night and early Sunday morning. You can expect to see 60-80 meteors per hour under dark skies after midnight on Saturday night. However, the last quarter moon also rises then, and its light will block out the dimmer members of the shower. The Geminids, however, are known for many bright meteors so the show will go on despite the moon. (By the way, did you now that the full moon is 9 times brighter than the quarter moon? Well, now you do!)
The best way to view the shower is lying on the ground, looking straight up, with your naked eyes. Meteor showers are whole sky phenomena, so optical aids are not called for. You don't even need to know where the "radiant" is, although it helps in understanding meteor showers.
Meteor showers occur when the earth crossesthe orbit of an old comet or asteroid. Parts of the comet or asteroid are left behind as it orbits the sun, kind of like a messy family throwing garbage out of their car. When the earth encounters this debris as it orbits the sun, the bits of the comet or orbit fall to earth at great speed and burn up from friction, creating the light of the meteorite (also called a "falling star" or a "shooting star", since that's what they look like). Due to a perspective effect the meteors all appear to originate at a single location in the sky, if you draw a line back along their path. That location is callled the "radiant" the point from which the meteors appear to originate. In the case of the Geminids, they appear to originate near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini, hence the name of this shower. But you need not look directly at the radiant to get a good view of the shower. The Geminids originate from a small asteroid, 3200 Phaeton, which is the named asteroid with the closest approach to the sun.
The radiant of the Geminids meteor shower lies near the bright star Castor, one of the Twins in the constellation Gemini. Pollux is the other.
If you are down Mitzpe Ramon way, I will be having a free star party and star tour on Saturday night, starting at 9:30pm. No charge, come one come all. I will be at an observing location behind Mitzpe Ramon on the road to the Alpaca Farm and the Wise Observatory. It's the continuation of the main entrance to town, Ben Gurion Blvd., which begins at the traffic circle entrance to Mitzpe on Route 40.
The red "X" marks the spot of the star party on Saturday night, December 13.
I usually drive around to the hotels to pick people up for my star tours but will not be able to do so for this open star party. If you get lost call me at 052-544-9789. If I don't answer, I'm in the middle of doing part of my star tour
To find the star party: The location is marked by the red "X" in the above map. Drive up Ben Gurion Blvd., the main street in Mitzpe Ramon. Keep following it into the dark behind town toward the Alpaca Farm and Field School. In about 1 mile there is an intersection for the Alpaca Farm and Field School. Do not turn off. Drive through the intersection. In about 3/4 of a mile you will come to a small forest of pine trees on the left, easy to see in daylight, hard to see at night. You will probably see campfires on the left as there are likely to be people camping there to see the meteor shower. Drive to the end of forest and turn left on the unmarked, unpaved dirt road. Go around the forest to the far side. You will see me set up there. If you come to a dead end at the observatory you went too far on the paved road.
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
We had a star party for 90 Gerer Chasid teenage girls in Mitzpe Ramon. Well, they had their own party as I, being male, was not really allowed to participate. However, I did get to stand by my telescope as they crushed it and me to death. It was a full moon night, so we looked at the moon. All the girls wanted to see stars, but there weren't many to show because of the bright light of the moon, plus running 90 girls through a telescope line is hard to manage. It should work better when I have my video cam up and running next month.
