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(meteorobs) No Perseids for Greater NY area (again!)
Once again, nobody in and around the Greater New York area will be able to
enjoy the sight of the maximum of the Perseid Meteors. I have been watching
(or trying to watch) the Perseids for over 30 years. However . . . I doubt
if there has been more than 5 or 6 years where the weather has cooperated
locally for viewing the peak of this display.
Of those few years that stand out: 1968 (a crisp night; more like
mid-autumn), 1969 (a perfect weather night; lots of bright meteors), 1971,
1972, 1985, 1995. In 1968, 1971 and 1995 the Moon provided significant
interference. Yet, is there any reason why from 1973 through 2001 -- a 28
year stretch -- the weather has been nice and clear only twice in the NY area
on the Perseid peak night?
My best Perseid showers were (not surprisingly) out-of-town: 1980 (on a
cruise ship en route to Bermuda); 1993 (on a cruise ship in the
Mediteranian); 1996 (in the Adirondack Mountains) and 1999 (Newfoundland at a
dark-sky site of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada).
In recent weeks I've been answering phone inquries on behalf of New York's
Hayden Planetarium about the Perseids. But with each caller, I finished the
conversation with the following disclaimer: "Don't get too excited about the
Perseids. The weather is always crummy in NY around the time of the shower
peak."
True enough! Last year: a rare mid-summer nor'easter. This year: a stalled
cold front (the most common occurrence).
Better Luck Next Year! (yeah sure . . . )
-- joe rao
P.S. Three months and one week to the Leonids. I'll be in Arizona for them.
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