What should I write in a meteor-watching diary?
Record the date, time, place, sky conditions, how many meteors you saw, how bright they were, their colours and any fireballs.
Keeping a meteor diary turns stargazing into real science. Astronomers have kept records like this for centuries, and they help us understand how meteor showers change.
Before you start, write: - The date, and the start and end time of your watch. - Where you are, such as your garden or a park, and the nearest town. - The weather: is it clear, or are there clouds? How much of the sky is covered? - The Moon: can you see it? Is it bright? - How dark the sky is: can you see the Milky Way? Count how many stars you can see in a familiar pattern, such as the Plough.
During your watch, write: - Each meteor you see, with the time. - How bright it was: faint, medium, bright or very bright. - Its colour, if you noticed one. - Whether it left a trail. - Which direction it was moving. During a shower, did it seem to come from the shower's radiant? - Any fireballs, with extra details.
At the end: - Count how many meteors you saw in each 15 minutes or hour. - Draw a simple graph. - Write how you felt and anything surprising.
Take a pencil, because pens can stop working in the cold, and a red torch so you can see your notebook. Compare your results with friends or other observers. You are being a real scientist!