Northern Aquarids - Active April 19 - May 28 - Max 2232hrs May 5 - ZHR 70

Northern Aquarids - Active April 19 - May 28 - Max 2232hrs May 5 - ZHR 70

Constellation-Aquarius Star-Epsilon Aquarius 120°compass Heading

The best time for watching will be in the very early morning hours on Sunday May 5th. Sometime before dawn the radiant doesn't rise until nearly 3am but meteors should be seen coming over the horizon before this and should leave long trails as the radient is low.The moon will not be a problem. This shower remains active for a few days so more of a chance of seeing something after the peak as the radiant rises earlier. Best viewing will be from the Southern Hemisphere

More info From Popastro here http://www.popastro....owers/index.php


Meteor Radar - http://www.meteorsca...eteor-live.html


Live ZHR Graphs from the International Meteor Organisation - http://www.imo.net/zhr


Hints & Tips on observing - http://www.popastro....dtips/index.php

Lyrids Meteor Shower - Active - April 16-25 - April 22 2013 - ZHR 18

The next meteor shower is the Lyrids on the 21-23rd April. An 85% Moon will not be ideal, but brighter meteors should be visible rates forecast 10/20 per hour, however in the past has reached as high as 100 per hour always worth checking in case this happens. Max is early hours of the 22nd moon setting at about 4am.

Meteor Radar - http://www.meteorscan.com/meteor-live.html

Live ZHR Graphs from the International Meteor Organisation - http://www.imo.net/zhr

Meteor Shower Information & charts from the Society For Popular Astronomy - http://www.popastro.com/meteor/reference/meteorshowers/index.php

Hints &; Tips on observing - http://www.popastro.com/meteor/observingmeteors/hintsandtips/index.php

This thread is for chat, reports etc. All reports welcome at - http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/97613-lyrids-meteor-shower-active-april-16-25-april-22-zhr-18/#entry853105.

The SPA monitor our reports and if you want to send them a detailed report this can be done here. - http://www.popastro.com/meteor/reportform/index.php

Pentax Astrotracer and Pentax K30. Astrophotography

Pentax Astrotracer and Pentax K30.

I use the Pentax K30 with Astrotracer and use the kit 50mm lens, Pentax 50-200mm lens and Tamrons 70-300mm.

ASTROTRACER function,which couples the unit with the camera’s  Shake Reduction system and enables users to photograph celestial bodies. The unit can calculate the movement of stars, planets, and other bodies using the latitude obtained from GPS data and the camera’s alignment data (horizontal and vertical inclinations and aspect) obtained from its magnetic and acceleration sensors, then shifts the camera’s image sensor in synchronization with the movement of the objects.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/blog/pentax-0-gps1-astrotracer.html

A couple of niggles are the flashing lights on the unit which need to be covered with a bit of sticky tape when composing the shot, however i found this useful when away from the camera the light warns others of it location on a dark night. The precision calibration can be a bit of a pain at times but once set works nicely.

I am new at astrophotography and have a lot to learn with Data processing I currently use Deepsky Stacker

http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html

Examples of my efforts can be seen below.

Noctilucent Cloud 2013

Noctilucent Cloud 2013

Nlc's usually appear from mid May to mid August.

They are a very interesting subject to view in the night sky and a great subject for photography.

There is a specific range of latitude they are visible from normally 50-65° North and about 82km in height

Noctilucent (Night Shining is a loose Latin Translation)

An indication of the formation of NLC's is when the Mesosphere temperature drops to about -140°C at about 82KM altitude

.

(Example Dalmellington, Ayrshire August  Capella Being The Bright Star)

The Bright Star Capella in the constellation Auriga its the third brightest star in the Northern hemisphere and is a good guide for where to look for NLC's

Heavens Above Star chart Click Here

Types of NLC's Clouds

Type 1: Veil – A simple structureless sheet, sometimes as background to other forms.

Type 2: Bands – Lines or streaks, parallel or crossing at small angles.

Type 3: Waves – Fine herring-bone structure like the sand ripples on a beach at low tide. Very characteristic of NLC.

Type 4: Whirls – Large-scale looped or twisted structures.

Type 5: Amorphous – Isolated patches of NLC with no definite structure

Photography

ISO 200-400, 10-20 secs F2.8/3.5

The above settings are a rough guide only and experimentation is recommended

Links

Meteor Smoke Makes Strange Clouds - NASA Science - http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/07aug_meteorsmoke/

NASA - AIM Mission Site -  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aim/index.html

Explanation from the Atoptics Site - http://www.atoptics.co.uk/highsky/nlc2.htm  

NASA - Noctilucent Clouds: -//www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aim/multimedia/nocticulant_clouds.html

NLC Observations Site 2012 - http://www.mcewan.co.uk/nlc/nlcreps.htm#may

Meteor Showers 2013

Meteor Showers 2013

I have included meteor showers with A max hourly rate (ZHR) greater than 10 per hour at maximum

More information on these showers can be found at Popastro http://www.popastro.com/meteor/reference/meteorshowers/index.php
.

Lyrids - Active - April 16-25 - Max 1804hrs April 22 - ZHR 18

Northern Aquarids - Active April 19 - May 28 - Max 2232hrs May 5 - ZHR 70

Bootids - Active June 22 - July 2 - Max 1456hrs June 27 - ZHR 0-100+

Southern Aquarids - Active July 12 - August 23 - Max 2236hrs July 29 - ZHR 15

Perseids - Active - July 17 - August 24 - Max 0316hrs 12 August - ZHR 60-100

Draconids Active October 6 - October 10 - Max 1728hrs  October 8-9 - ZHR Var

Orionids Active - October 14 - October 31 - Max 0620 October 21 - ZHR 25

Leonids Active - Leonids - Active November 6 - Novembr 30 - Max 1008hrs November 17 -18 - ZHR 15

Geminids - Active December 4 - December 17 - Max 0728hrs December 14th - ZHR 120

Ursids -Active December 17 - 26 - Max 1428hrs December 23 - ZHR 10

Quadrantids - Activie Jan 1 - January 6 - Max 1520hrs January 3 - ZHR 80 -120


Society For Popular Astronomy Meteor Section - http://www.popastro.com/meteor/reference/meteorshowers/index.php

Meteor Radar http://www.meteorscan.com/meteor-live.html

IMO Live ZHR Graphs will appear here http://www.imo.net/zhr

Comet Pan-STARRS C/2011 L4 UK Visible March 2013

Well its been a long wait for the northern hemisphere but Comet Pan-STARRS  C/2011 L4 should be visible in March 2013 from the UK see link for further information> I will add to this post as more information become available. Hoping for a photograph.


http://phys.org/news/2013-02-comet-pan-starrs-visible-northern-hemisphere.html#jCp

A Night's Observing - Dalmellington 06/02/2013

A trip to the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory last night was a must as the skies were crystal clear. Batteries charged lens cleaned. Some packets of instant hot chocolate to fend off the cold. It was a cold night and the order was double clothing and a good hat. The drive up to the observatory is an adventure in itself. I could see the dome open and no lights on so i put on fog lights only as not to disturb anyone's viewing. The road surface is a forestry type hard core construction and easily accessible to standard motor vehicle's as the Corsa parked at the observatory is testament too.

http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/

On arrival at the park I could see cameras and telescopes ready and set up to capture some of the nights sights. On Parking up located my red light torch and went into the observatory to let them know i was there before returning to my car to set up my equipment.

Pentax K30
Astrotracer O-GPS1
Lens 18mm-50mm
         50mm-200mm
         70mm -300mm
Sturdy tripod
I use this kit for specific imaging and targeting specific clusters, nebulae and galaxies.

Pentax K200D
Lens 18mm -50mm
.45x wide angle adaptor
Remote timer set to take a 30sec exposure with a 30sec delay between each
Sturdy tripod.

By the time it took me to set up my kit my eyes had adjusted to the dark. I stood for a few minutes looking at the milky way and picking out the better known constellations. Standing in an area without light pollution looking at the skies is amazing the number of stars and definition of the Milkyway could have me standing gazing all night and brings home what a small part of the Universe we are.

I set up my timelapse camera and left it to snap away returning 15 minutes later to find the wide angled lens adaptor which consists of two parts had fogged up, this was promptly removed and and let the camera running on its std 18mm lens.

Then with the help of the manager  who knows i am new to the hobby helped me locate the Andromeda galaxy and i managed to take quite a few pictures of it, Not you professional type pictures but one's I am happy with as we all have to start somewhere. I then managed to image the Beehive Cluster, M41 cluster, M35 Cluster and get some nice shots of the Milkyway and Observatory.

                                                                           Andromeda M31, M32, M110

All this without a telescope and wth standard type Dslr's cameras.

I have been bitten by the bug and added a new line to my weather photography and am looking forward to the astrophotography course i have signed up to at the observatory this month.I hope you will see the improvement in future posts.

http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/events/an-introduction-to-astrophotography/

It was time for a short break and I went back into the observatory for a cup of hot chocolate and a warm by the log fire and an interesting chat with the staff and other visitors. Before heading back out for some more photography. On checking my timelapse camera i found it was fogged up again and frost on the lens hood. It had been running for over an hour but the shots could be seen not to be of the best quality and a rethink of the settings i use set it up again. No one said it would be easy and its part of the challenge of trial and error whilst gaining experience.

After taking some more image's the cold was beginning to set in. A visit to the manager Robert Ince who had been working on the main scope to say cheerio was the highlight of the night he had been imaging the Great Orion Nebula and the sight was awsome.

A slide show of some of the nights images is below

Earlier in the day I had taken a friend for the Observatory Tour and while he was doing this I took some pictures of the Sun to try and capture some sunspots with a special Baader Film Filter. (Never look into the Sun as this can damage your eye's or blind you without using proper equipment.

Full size image click here

You don't need big scopes or big cameras to enjoy the night naked eye and binocular observing is great fun too. The observatories 20" 14" and Solar scope and other smaller types are there to use and enjoy.

The observatories friendly staff are available for everyone from the curious to the serious amateur as the site promotes astronomy education to the public one of the few that do.

My previous trips blog and pictures can be found by clicking HERE

A Trip To The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory Dalmellington Ayrshire

Had a great nights observing last night thoroughly enjoyed it. I am new at this so help from the staff was appreciated as was warming myself by the log fire on a few occasions.
If you've not been, I highly recommend it. I took the use your own scope option great value. All pics taken with a standard DSLR not attached to a telescope. Imagine what you can see with the main scopes.

A quick selection of some photo's taken tonight. Two cameras with shots to process. Clusters, Meteors, Nubulae. All taken without a telescope on a standard DSLR camera. More pic's Clusters and Star trails to be added later. If any of my identification of objects is wrong please let me know as i'm new at this. Pics Taken with Pentax k30 - Astrotracer 0-GPS1 single shots except the star trails.

http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/

My report on the opening here http://doonvalleyphotographyandweather.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/scottish-dark-sky-observatory.html

Some picture from the nights viewing.

Directions to the SDSO below

Vesta & Ceres Taken from the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory 08/01/13.

_IGP2473qfinds See Description For Objects, a photo by DaveH64 on Flickr.

Taken from the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory 08/01/13. http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/

If you click on the larger photo a full description of objects will be marked and describe. This is done via a fantastic facility available on the Flickr Group http://www.flickr.com/groups/astrometry/.

Thanks to  the New Observatory manager Robert for advising me that the Minor Planets Vesta and Ceres would also be visible in the capture. Taken with one shot Pentax K30 18mm, Bulb, ISO 12600, just goes to show what you can find between breaks in the cloud.

Yellow - Vesta
Orange - Ceres
Pink - M35

I think I have marked them correctly after a few hours staring at sky charts.

Information from NASA on Vesta and Ceres can be found at the link below.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/ceresvesta/index.html

Near-Earth Asteroid 2012 DA14 to Miss Earth on February 15, 2013

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news174.html  - News Item

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2012%20DA14;orb=1 - Orbit Chart

Its been reported that the object will be able to be seen with binoculars moving against backgroun stars passing from the Sourthern hemisphere at night into the Northern in the early morning hours

The object will pass within 21600 miles inside the orbit of geostationary satellites. The object will not hit Earth. - http://phys.org/news/2013-01-celestial-flybys-thrill.html

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower (UK) Peak Jan 2-3 2013

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower (UK) Peak Jan 2-3 2013


The first major meteor shower of 2013 ZHR 40 - 80 This shower has a short peak time due to the bands of debris being narrow. This shower is not normally the most observered by visual observers due to the time of year storms and cold weather which is one reason why the rates can vary so much.

The shower runs 1 -6th January but best chance of observations are 2-3 and 3-4th Jan. The Moon rises late evening and will be in its last quarter wanning gibbious phase. So when making observations at this time viewing can be maximsed by having the moon to your back and shielding it behind anything you can building, trees etc.

SPA guide to observing meteors is an excellent guide - 

SPA guide to the Quadrantids - 

IMO live observation page -

Meteorscan Live radar - 

Stargazers attempt to catch glimpse of Geminid meteor shower | Scotland | News | STV

Stargazers attempt to catch glimpse of Geminid meteor shower | Scotland | News | STV:

Lucky enough to have my photo of a Geminid Meteor Used by STV News

My Report on observations for last night.

-4°C Snow, Breeze 7/8 cloud cover and hazy clear breaks. 2122hrs-2222 16 Gemnids 2222hrs to2252hrs 11 observed not bad for conditions 

Picture Below used by STV News And The Scottish Sun.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/205875-stargazers-attempt-to-catch-glimpse-of-geminid-meteor-shower/

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4698734/Star-shot-for-Scots-sky-snapper.html

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Geminids Meteor Shower Max Evening 13/12/12

Geminids Meteor Shower Max Evening 13/12/12 until Dawn 14/12/2012 ZHR = 50

 Max Evening 13/12/12 until Dawn 14/12/2012
 ZHR = 50 Active December 4—17

 The last major meteor shower for 2012 and one of the best and reliable meteor showers of the year with its rates of 50 meteors an hour from dark sky sites.

 It is thought this display is the result of a break up of an asteroid rather than a comet which makes it unusual more on that here http://science.nasa....06dec_geminids/

 The Moon will not be a problem as it will be in its new phase and will not affect viewing

. The meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini which rise's after 7pm on the 13th and climbs to its maximum height in the early hours of morning.

 Its peak is forecast for between 2330hrs (13th)and 0300hrs (14th)

 It will provide a good opportunity for evening observers from about 2100hrs on the 13th so if your not a night owl you can also have a go at observing.

 Meteors will be observable between the active dates 4-17th December but not in great a numbers as on the max.

 SPA Radient Map and Information

 SPA Guide for recording Meteor Showers 

 IMO Report and ZHR will be available here when the shower starts. 

 Live view Meteor Detection. 

Leonid Meteor Shower Max 17/11/2012

Leonid Meteor Shower Max 17/11/2012

Parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle

This shower is active from 14-21st November. The max on the 17th should produce a ZHR 15 (+-5) A waxing moon will set before the radient in the consellation Leo rises at about 2230hrs so not much point in looking for them before this.

It is also a possibility a ZHR of 10 may be possible on the 20th.

SPA Meteor section radient map and information. http://www.popastro.....php?id_pag=232

Report and ZHR will be available here when the shower starts. http://www.imo.net/ 

Live view Meteor Detection. http://www.meteorsca...eteor-live.html

SPA Guide for recording Meteor Showers http://www.popastro....teors/index.ph 

Orionids Meteor Shower Max 20/21 October 2012

Orionids Meteor Shower Max 20/21 October 2012 Active (02/10/2012 - 07/11/2012)

One of the main annual meteor showers, ZHR 25 fast moving meteors about 150,000 mph due to their speed often break up and may leave trails of incandescent debris for sometime after.

Moon sets in the South about 2150hrs as Orion rises in the East due to this observations unlikely to be possible prior to 2100hrs

The peak of the Orionids is difficult to judge so a couple nights either side of max observations could pay off.

SPA Guide and source chart http://www.popastro.....php?id_pag=231

SPA Guide for recording Meteor Showers http://www.popastro....teors/index.php

Please share reports here so others may get the chance to watch.

Don't forget wrap up warm, take a chair and flask and good luck to those trying to image.


Live view Meteor Detection. http://www.meteorsca...eteor-live.html

IMO Orionid observation live data link will be added when available.

UKWeatherWorld  Orionid Reports http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/94335-orionids-meteor-shower-2021-october-2012-reports/

Viewing Aurora Borealis Northern Lights In The UK

Solar X-rays: Geomagnetic Field:

From n3kl.org

I hope to give some helpful information and advise for those wishing to observe the Northern Lights in the UK.

I am no expert myself and still learning I will try to put things across in laymen’s terms without getting bogged down in the complex scientific explanations of them but provide links for further information to the experts in this field.

Once you have seen the Northern Lights and watched in awe at such a natural light display I'm sure you will be hooked like myself and many others.

The first indication I watch for is sunspots that produce solar flares.

Link to Sunspot activity and flare forecast
http://spaceweather.inf.brad.ac.uk/

The stronger the flare the better however they need to be Earth directed the flares are classified from weakest to strongest A,B,C,M & X
Space Weather is good for the heads up.
http://www.spaceweather.com/

It can take a few days for a flare Coronal Mass Ejection that is Earth directed to arrive. Another source of the Aurora can be an area of the Sun leaking a magnetic filament

If a CME or Magnetic filament strikes the Earths Atmosphere we have a chance of Aurora the strength of an Aurora is measured in KP (1 to 9) The higher the number the better and further South the display.

A KP4 storm would likely be visible from the North Of Scotland A KP9 would be visible from the Southern UK.

A chart showing were you would expect to see Aurora in the UK against its KP strength is here.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNE.html

Any activity from KP5 strength is classified by NOAA as a geomagnetic storm.

Scale

G1 Minor = KP5

G2 Moderate = KP6

G3 Strong = KP7

G4 Severe = K8

G5 Extreme = KP9

A chart here shows the expected effects on Earth and man-made equipment

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/

Where can you find current levels of activity.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/

On the above page looking at the ACE Real-Time Solar wind dials is self explanatory ideally you are wanting all the dials into the yellow or red. However this rarely happens.

The NOAA Scales of Activity is a good indicator of activity showing current storms and past 24hrs storm levels however I along with others have found this can be somewhat delayed.

The Auroral Map gives a visual indicator and strength of Aurora activity overlaid on a map of the Northern Hemisphere

Other Auroral Activity overlays used regularly have links below

https://cssdp.ca/ssdp/app/static/related_projects/rt_oval.html

http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/Europe.html

A good site for UK Activity is UK Aurora Watch

The Geomagnetic Graph shows live data over the UK and is a great indicator of potential Aurora activity the site also covers areas suitable for photographing the Aurora and explanations for the live data links.

http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/

Another European site I find useful is

Solar Influences Data Center

http://sidc.oma.be/index.php3

Aurora like the weather can be unpredictable displays can range from an arc of light, lighter than the surrounding dark sky to brilliant green and red beams and pulsating colours in the sky.

It is worth noting if you see the lighter coloured arc it is worth photographing and checking the results as it may show up green auroral light and it may be a growing storm as cameras are able to detect the auroral colours before the naked eye. Don't forget the darker the place you take observations the better you will see any display.

The best way to get up to date information is to be a member of forums such as Ukweatherworld who have a forum for Aurora watches where members post alerts and information photographs etc.

http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/index.php

Twitter and Facebook are also invaluable for live information searching Aurora or #aurorauk (Twitter)

https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatUkAuroraHunt?fref=ts

If you are interested in learning more about space weather I can highly recommend the following site which is free to join and provides a basic understanding a short test and certificate if you pass.

https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_detail.php?page=1&topic=16&language=1&orderBy=publishDateDesc

Photography

I use a Pentax DSLR,Tripod.

The settings I tend to use are an ISO 3200 f3.5 18mm 10 – 15 seconds on bulb settings with a remote.

Further Links

http://www.mattg.co.uk/aurora/

http://hfradio.org/aurora_globe.html

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/kp_3d.html

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/3

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/spaceweather/

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

http://www.solarmonitor.org/

http://www.solarstormwatch.com/

http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/

http://www.lmsal.com/hek/her?cmd=home

http://www.spacew.com/plots.php

http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/

Scottish Dark Sky Observatory

The official Opening of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory took place on the 05/10/2012 at Craigengillan

Dalmellington East Ayrshire KA6 7PZ. The location in it self provides stunning views over the local countryside.

The purpose built facility will be open to the public, Schools,Organisations for educational purposes and will also being arranging specific group events including night sky photography. The observatory will have two fixed scopes The main dome will house a 20" Corrected Dall-Kirkham scope on a Paramount ME, which will eventually be capable of operating remotely over the internet. The roll-off-roof observatory will house a 14" Schmidt Cassegrain on a Go-to Losmandy G11 mount.

20" Corrected Dall-Kirkham scope on a Paramount ME

Main Dome

Objects observed by the scope will be available for live  viewing by visitors from monitors situated on the site.

It is proposed the main scope will be available to the international astronomical community when not in public use who will be able to book the scope and operate it remotely over the internet for space research with the possibility that new discoveries in the night sky could be discovered from Dalmellington.

The facility boasts a modern environmentally friendly design with a main doom and sliding roof observation area for the main scopes and also has an observation area on the roof for other scopes or just observation. It boasts a lecture conference room, Toilets, sustainable heating system and leveled areas through the site for observations also for siting of the planetarium.

Sliding Roof Observatory which will house 14" Schmidt Cassegrain on a Go-to Losmandy G11 mount and part of observation deck.

It is one of only five "gold tier" dark sky parks around the world

The dark sky observatory, the only one of its kind which will be available for use by the public

The observatory at Dalmellington is a superb asset for the tourist economy in Ayrshire and Scotland 

Future projects include a nocturnal zoo.

The site also lies and is a part of the biosphere area the objectives being

Conservation – to preserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes;

Learning and Research – to support research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development.

Sustainable Development – to foster sustainable economic and human development.

The Observatory has its own site as well as pages on Facebook,Twitter and Tumblr Blog. Where more information and pictures are available.

http://www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scottish-Dark-Sky-Observatory/168473513232436

twitter.com/darkskyobs

http://thesdso.tumblr.com/

Please take the time to visit and share the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory pages

Thanks

Here is a slideshow of some of the things I have photographed in and around the Dalmellington using a standard digital camera and tripod, imagine what you will be able to see with the telescopes on site!!!

Here is a further slideshow of an amazing Aurora Display shot from Dalmellington in April 2012 as we head towards Solar Max similar and better displays are anticipated.

Aurora Borealis Display - Slideshow

 

 An amazing display of Aurora Borealis photographed from Dalmellington on the 23rd April into 24th April 2012. ©DaveHancox2012

Draconid Meteor Shower 7,8th October 2012

Draconids Max 07,08/10/2012 ZHR = ? can reach storm levels so worth a check. 

Active between 06/10/2012 - 10/10/2012

Best observed evenings of 7th/8th October 2012.

 A strange shower in as such activity is normally very low. However sometimes reaches storm level, Last year reaching rates of 600/hr will it repeat this year or will it be 5/hr anybodys guess at the moment.

 Only way to find out is to watch weather permitting.

Chart and article by EarthSky http://earthsky.org/tonight/legendary-draconids-boom-or-bust

http://imo.net/calendar/2012#octdec

Guide for recording Meteor Showers http://www.popastro.com/meteor/activity/activity.php?id_pag=231

 Updates and sightings will be posted at Ukweatherworld http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/94116-draconids-meteor-shower-7th-october-2012/

Solar Activity Monitor

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Solar X-rays: Geomagnetic Field:

From n3kl.org