[BCVHFA] Starry, Starry Nights

[K8CM]

Received this from a friend.

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This may be the best month ever to look up at the sky.  No matter 
where you live in the US, an amazing array of shooting stars, 
constellations and other wonderful events will fill your night.

A METEOR SHOWER TO REMEMBER:  A meteor shower happens when tiny 
specks of comet debris enter Earth's atmosphere, creating an 
eye-catching light show as they vaporize during a streak through our 
atmosphere.  One of the most impressive of these showers, PERSEIDS, 
happens when Earth passes through the debris trail of Comet 
Swift-Tuttle as the comet makes its 130-year orbit around the 
sun.  Every brilliant flash is a fragment burning at 37 times per 
second.  You'll be able to spot as many as 100 of these flashes per 
hour when the shower peaks on the night of August 12 and 13.  Adding 
to its appeal is the fact that, this year, a new moon falls on August 
12 for the first time since 1999, so skies will be at their darkest 
(and, therefore, the meteors will be quite visible). No matter where 
you're watching in the country, the show gets better as it gets 
darker; between 1-5AM on August 13 is prime time.

A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE:  On August 28, the full moon will darken and 
turn deep orange near dawn.

MARS VISITS TAURUS: The constellation Taurus, "the bull" is known for 
the "V" of its head and horns, with the red star Aldebaran forming 
the eye.  Between August 18 and 24, after Mars passes close to 
Aldebaran, the planet will form a second red eye, completing the 
bull's fiery gaze and making for a striking sight from anywhere in 
the USA especially between 4-5AM

THE ASTEROID VESTA PASSES JUPITER:  On August 29, Jupiter will get a 
new neighbor:  Vesta, the brightest asteroid in the sky.  With a 
small telescope or high-powered binoculars, you should be able to see 
Vesta change in brightness from anywhere in the country as the 
asteroid rotates every 5.3 hours.

Anyway, this may be far more information than you'd like, but it 
should be fun to LOOK UP TO THE SKIES during August.  Too bad it all 
takes place when we are in bed.  Need to set the alarm?