Perseid meteor shower observations

Yes, Powell Observatory in at Louis-Young Park just NW of Louisburg, KS. The Dark Sky Site is about 15 miles SW of Butler, MO. You can set up anywhere around the observatory or in the parking lot just to its north side across the street. The bathrooms are inside the observatory so you would need a keyholder to have the classroom open to access them. As far as meteor observing, this would be dark enough, and it's a fairly short drive (depending on where in KC you are).

The darkest location would be the DSS. Information can be found in your new member pack. The peak of the shower is Thursday and Friday mornings. but there still will be plenty of activity Friday evening after midnight. Moonset on Friday is about 11:20pm, so the timing will be perfect.

Most likely others will be down there as well, but the gate may still be locked. If you find the gate locked, lock it behind you after you enter. Info can be found in the DSS Owners Manual found at: https://askc.org/documents/documents/238-dss-operations-as-of-2020-10-27/file

And yes, if it is your first time visiting the DSS... PLAN TO ARRIVE at least 30 minutes BEFORE SUNSET! Look at a map and determine your driving time. For most of the KC area, it's at least a 1 hour drive.

also.....

I don't know how experienced you are at meteor observing. It works best to use a reclining lawn chair leaned way back. Have everyone in your party watch a different direction facing about 45 degrees up. Have a few snacks and drinks handy. Binoculars are good to check out any trains that are left behind by any big ones. As stated in my previous post, you will see a few meteors before midnight, but they peak starting about 1:00am local time and get better as you get closer to dawn.

If you are so inclined, there is an Astronomical League observing program that you can complete while observing meteors. The program requirements can be found at: https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/meteor/metrcl.html

A downloaded PDF of the meteor observing form and how to fill the form out is found at https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/meteor/metobsfr.html

You can have a red LED clock handy for a quick peek at the meteor time. But the best method i found was to have a voice recorder going the entire session. Just talk when you see the meteor, and say the info on the meteor. Later on, just re-play the recording and put it onto the form. If you have a group of people, it's also a cool memento of the experience; hearing the shouts and the comments by everyone.

You get a certificate for every 6 hours of active meteor watching, and a lapel pin after 36 hours.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the links and info. We're planning to go to the DSS Friday. This will actually be my first time to observe a meteor shower, but Gene has done so before. The Meteor Observing Program looks like a fun way to participate in a memorable way, thanks for sharing that. I do have our member packets, and will go through those for any additional site info.

One more thing....... the gate has an updated double padlock system now that is not mentioned in the DSS Owners Manual yet.

Unlock the padlock that is painted ASKC blue. Scramble the code to lock it back on the chain.

When you are ready to lock gate.... REMEMBER that the shackle goes through the last link of the chain and through the shackle of the other padlock.

ok, DONE! The updated DSS Operations manual is at https://askc.org/documents/documents/305-dss-operations-as-of-2021-08-11/file

Thanks for the info. Looks like it's going to be cloudy so we aren't going to make it tonight. Hope to check out the starry sky one day soon.