Thursday, July 28, 2011

How to watch a meteor shower in Hawaii

Dear Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors,
After celebrating our 5th Hawaii Blog birthday, we are happy to share another guest post with our Hawaii visitors. Hawaii will experience a special 'fireworks' in the night skies tomorrow, Friday night. Gerrit from BigIslandHawaiianVacation shares with you his Hawaii meteor shower guide:

Best Meteor Shower of the year in Hawaii

"Friday will be your best shot this year to see shooting stars burn in the Hawaiian night sky as the Delta Aquarids meteor shower reaches it peak.

Normally the mid-August Perseid meteor shower steals the show with on average up to 60 shooting stars per hour during its peak. This year however, the full moon will outshine all but the brightest of the Perseid Meteors, which forces those of us with a long wish list to turn to another shower.

Luckily, the Delta Aquarid meteor shower is a worthy contender. It may not be as active as the Perseids, but the peak of the Delta Aquarids coincides with the new moon coming Friday (July 29th). On top of that you will also be able to see the first of the Perseid meteors as the shower slowly starts building up to its (poorly visible) peak on August 13th. The combination of these two showers with the new moon make Friday the best night of 2011 to watch a meteor shower in Hawaii. Expect to see up to 15-30 shooting stars per hour against a clear and dark sky.

What are shooting stars or meteor showers

Meteor showers happen as Earth plows through the trail of debris that is left in the wake of a comet. Because our planet moves with the incredible speed of 90,000 miles/hour, all swept up particles quickly burn up in the atmosphere as a shooting star.

What is the best time to watch the meteor shower in Hawaii

You can see shooting stars during any time at night. However, you can see by far the most meteors after midnight. This has everything to do with the rotation of the Earth. Between midnight and sunrise Earth's rotation has brought you on the leading edge of our planet, and Earth can sweep up many more meteoroids!

How to watch a meteor shower in Hawaii

Comfortable meteor watching is best done with a reclining chair or a blanket to lie down on, because you will be looking up for a long time. Bring a pillow for your neck and find an as dark spot as possible. Once installed sit back, relax, and allow 15 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness. As with all Meteor showers around the globe, the best time to watch the meteor shower in Hawaii is the early hours before dawn."

Much mahalo, Gerrit, for this guest post about meteor showers in Hawaii. Big Island visitors and everbody else who is preparing for watching the meteor shower tomorrow night in Hawaii, will find great tips on 'What to pack for watching the meteor shower in Hawaii' Don't forget your wish list when you are preparing for your long night out tomorrow. Make a wish or two or three...aloha, Pua HawaiiVacations
p.s.
Don't tell us your wishes but tell us when and where you watched a meteor shower in Hawaii.

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