Will it ever be possible to see meteor showers and other astronomical events???

Question

It's so exasperating...if people live in a city area, for example near Canary Wharf will meteor showers ever be visible to the naked eye?

Answer 1

I was pondering the same thing last night while I was out in the country.

soon, the earth will be so populated, with cities and truck stops, gas stations and mcdondalds = lights, everywhere,
that the only way we could have complete (sorta) darkness will be to take a cruise across the oceans.

or maybe from a big national park, maybe

Answer 2

Perseids 23 Jul - 22 Aug
(12 Aug 9.20am) Northern hemisphere.

Orionids 15 - 29 Oct
(21 Oct 1.30am) Both hemispheres.

Leonids 13 - 20 Nov
(17 Nov 7.30am) Both

Geminids 6 - 19 Dec
(13 Dec 8.45pm) Both


* All times are in Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time)

Now you know when, you need to know where. The problem with living in a city is the light polution from the street lamps. However, even in a city, there are darker areas such as a park or a beach. Make sure you don't go to dark areas alone for safety's sake though.

We had a power cut a few years ago and I was astounded at the number of stars I could see when the street lights were off.

If you're a little more adventurous, go into the countryside, you'll get an even better view.

Answer 3

I lay on my deck last night watching meteor flashes, spurts, streaks and a couple really great long lasting very colorful tails.

Yes, I live in the country, in the Midwest. Where we are having a heat wave. The night skies are very clear.

I doubt you city people will ever see a good clear night sky. It is not just the lights. The haze caused by car exhaust, buses and trucks. Smoke from power plants. Inversions over cities. Yes, large metropolitan areas make their own mini climates. When the sun goes down and the area starts to cool, it traps all the smoke and dust and pollen. City people have all kinda of allergies and eye problems related to their environment.

So, if ya wanna see the wonders of outer space you are gonna have to find a mountain top or desert or open ocean area first.

Answer 4

Hi Missy,
Light is a problem, but if you know when somthing is going to happen you may be lucky. With meteor showers, you would need to be looking after midnight, you may see one or two trails in an hour instead of 30 or so at a dark site. You could go to the countryside for dark sites, comets sometimes get bright enough to see with the naked eye, but they are not very frequent. Lunar eclipses are no problem, the red tint lasts for over an hour. Jupiter is visible with no problem, and you should be able to see four moons going around it with modest equipment, (3" reflector). So, don`t give up hope. There are goodies up there, you just have to work a bit harder to see them.

Clear skies,

Ivor Cogdell

Answer 5

The best way to see meteor showers and other faint astronomical events like comets is to get away from city lights.
Its the "light pollution" in our cities that makes it very hard to see anything except the brightest stars at night (not just for us, but for professional astronomers as well).
When you see bright lights in an empty parking lot or ball field, when you see bright lights shining upwards as well as downwards along highways, that is all part of the problem.

So for now, besides supporting "dark sky" initiatives to reduce ambient city lighting, the only other option is to drive out of town into the dark countryside if you want a good view.

Answer 6

Mostly not likely to the naked eye in a city, unfortunately. If you're stuck in a mildly light-polluting area, though, try: 1) keep one eye gently closed for as long as possible 2) when you see something interesting with the other eye, look at the area with the adapted eye (the previously closed one) through a toilet roll tube touching that eye. You'll see a fair bit more.

Answer 7

If you are in Canary Wharf then the Hampstead Scientific Society isn't that far away (they have a website) - I'm sure they would be glad to hear from you. I have seen the Pelaiedes from Parliament Hill.

Answer 8

Some of the Perseid meteor showers were visible in London last night.

Answer 9

No. Get out into the countryside away from light pollution. Try Epping area.

Answer 10

I do believe I'll never see. A bilboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps unless the billboards fall. I'll never see a tree at all. Or a star or the sky. (sung to the song trees)