In Sun City, the Perseid meteor shower is peaking now. Click HERE for information. To see the most meteors, you will need clear weather and a dark sky far from the interference of bright city lights. At 7 p.m. EDT tonight, the Slooh Space Camera will offer a free webcast from its observatory on Mt. Tiede in the Canary Islands, off the western coast of Africa. You can watch the feed on SPACE.com or directly from Slooh via the Slooh Space Camera website. What time is that in Sun City? 4 or 5?
One advantage to living at 8500 ft in the mountains, we have a wonderfully dark sky.....I will hope for clear skies tonight.
In answer to your "What time is that in Sun City?" question … Arizona is always on Mountain time, but because we don't observe Daylight Savings Time (DST), we are 3 hours earlier than Eastern (technically, the same as Pacific time) during DST, and 2 hours earlier than Eastern during the rest of the year. Therefore, if it's 7:00p Eastern on August 11th, it is 4:00p in Arizona — which was 38 minutes ago! 8~)
Growing up in Wisconsin, my brother, Tom, and I always enjoyed watching the August meteor showers. We lived in the Village of Park Ridge where street lights were only bright enough to see your way home after sunset; and, therefore, didn't interfere with the show. Our lawn chairs were strategically placed at the end of our long driveway; blankets, flashlights, something to drink and, of course, a snack or two were at the ready. Then we'd ooh, ahh, and make wishes as the sky filled with those sparkling, darting lights — what a sight it was! And, now, a cherished memory. 8~)
