Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Thunderheads, Sandpipers, Naked-Eye Planets, and the Perseid Meteor Shower

Towering thunderheads, various sandpipers, naked-eye planets, and the Perseid meteor shower

Towering thunderheads have been seen hovering over the wall of mountains east of San Diego in recent weeks. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca and Mount Laguna on several occasions, with more of the same expected at times during the next two or three weeks. Usually this kind of activity ceases by sunset, and clearing skies usher in a cloud-free night. The marked contrast between the sunny, but bland weather along the coast and the more lively and unpredictable mountain weather is one illustration of San Diego County's "geography of contrast."

Various sandpipers are now being seen in considerable numbers within San Diego County's coastal wetland habitats and along the ocean beaches. Some have just arrived from the north; others are juveniles that have bred locally. You'll find sanderlings and willets scurrying along the wet sand on the beaches. Several other members of the sandpiper family can be found in mudflat areas such as the Tijuana River Estuary, the south end of San Diego Bay, the San Diego River flood channel near Sea World, and the margins of most North County lagoons.

All five "naked eye" planets can be glimpsed after dusk during much of the month of August. This week and next, for example, try to spot sparkling Venus low in the west about 1/2 hour after sunset. Mercury, Saturn and Mars can be spotted using binoculars in the areas to the lower right and the upper left of Venus. Opposite this group of four (eastward), Jupiter appears as steadily glowing, yellowish orb.

The Perseid meteor shower, the best known of the many meteor displays that return annually, peaks this year during the wee hours of Tuesday, August 12. The bright waxing gibbous moon will largely spoil the view until it sets at approximately 1:30 a.m. From that time until dawn's earliest light (4:40 a.m.) however, the combination of moonlight-free skies and the shower's peak overall activity will ensure hourly rates of 60 meteors or more. This rate assumes clear, dark skies, such as you would find in San Diego County's remote mountain and desert areas. Hourly rates will be perhaps half as much if you observe on the mornings of the 11th or the 13th. The Perseid meteors, like other similar annual meteor showers, occur when Earth plows through a broad stream of tiny dust particles left over from the past disintegration of a comet. The particles burn up as air friction slows them at heights of about 50 miles, resulting in luminous trails visible for a second or two from the ground. Following the passage of a particularly bright meteor a lingering glow, called a train, may remain for a few more seconds. For best viewing results, lie in a comfortable position, facing northeast. Don't forget your cup of strong coffee!

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

University Heights Fall Festival, Haunted Ghost Town

Events October 19-October 23, 2024
Next Article

Novo Brazil puts is kombucha to good use in cocktail

Carnival a Dama brings Brazilian culture to the menu

Towering thunderheads have been seen hovering over the wall of mountains east of San Diego in recent weeks. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca and Mount Laguna on several occasions, with more of the same expected at times during the next two or three weeks. Usually this kind of activity ceases by sunset, and clearing skies usher in a cloud-free night. The marked contrast between the sunny, but bland weather along the coast and the more lively and unpredictable mountain weather is one illustration of San Diego County's "geography of contrast."

Various sandpipers are now being seen in considerable numbers within San Diego County's coastal wetland habitats and along the ocean beaches. Some have just arrived from the north; others are juveniles that have bred locally. You'll find sanderlings and willets scurrying along the wet sand on the beaches. Several other members of the sandpiper family can be found in mudflat areas such as the Tijuana River Estuary, the south end of San Diego Bay, the San Diego River flood channel near Sea World, and the margins of most North County lagoons.

All five "naked eye" planets can be glimpsed after dusk during much of the month of August. This week and next, for example, try to spot sparkling Venus low in the west about 1/2 hour after sunset. Mercury, Saturn and Mars can be spotted using binoculars in the areas to the lower right and the upper left of Venus. Opposite this group of four (eastward), Jupiter appears as steadily glowing, yellowish orb.

The Perseid meteor shower, the best known of the many meteor displays that return annually, peaks this year during the wee hours of Tuesday, August 12. The bright waxing gibbous moon will largely spoil the view until it sets at approximately 1:30 a.m. From that time until dawn's earliest light (4:40 a.m.) however, the combination of moonlight-free skies and the shower's peak overall activity will ensure hourly rates of 60 meteors or more. This rate assumes clear, dark skies, such as you would find in San Diego County's remote mountain and desert areas. Hourly rates will be perhaps half as much if you observe on the mornings of the 11th or the 13th. The Perseid meteors, like other similar annual meteor showers, occur when Earth plows through a broad stream of tiny dust particles left over from the past disintegration of a comet. The particles burn up as air friction slows them at heights of about 50 miles, resulting in luminous trails visible for a second or two from the ground. Following the passage of a particularly bright meteor a lingering glow, called a train, may remain for a few more seconds. For best viewing results, lie in a comfortable position, facing northeast. Don't forget your cup of strong coffee!

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Perseid Meteor Shower

Next Article

Thunderheads, Orioles, and Fleas

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader