July in review & Perseids meteor shower : Look up to the stars !

Perseid 4 August 2018

credits: Eliot Herman, Tucson, Arizona

https://www.flickr.com/photos/

The stunning annual Perseids meteor shower's peak will appear in skies across the world this weekend, between the 12th and 13th August, so head to the darkest place nearby and enjoy the show.

Last year, the glare from a gibbous moon dampened the annual spectacle. But for 2018, the dark new moon arrives on August 11, only two days before the Perseids peak. That means the best part of the shower will coincide with just a thin crescent moon, which will set very soon after darkness falls.

A veritable ritual for summer stargazers, the Perseids are considered one of nature's best fireworks shows, with dozens of shooting stars an hour falling at peak times. 

This annual meteor shower comes as Earth passes through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, causing bright streaks that appear as though they’re radiating from the constellation Perseus. The Perseids will peak this weekend between, when moonless nights will make for an especially dark sky.

The Perseid meteor shower is often considered to be one of the best meteor showers of the year due to its high rates and pleasant late-summer temperatures. This year’s shower peak, however, has the added bonus of dark skies courtesy of an early-setting crescent Moon. Combine these ideal observing conditions and high rates (an average of 60 meteors per hour at the peak) with the fact that the best nights for viewing – August 11 to 12 and August 12 to 13 – occur on a weekend and you have a recipe for successfully viewing some celestial fireworks!

Google Doodle tribute to Perseid meteor shower

doodler: Sophie Diao

https://www.google.com/doodles/

In 2014, Google celebrated Perseid meteor shower with a beautiful video Doodle.

"I hope it inspires people to go out and see the meteor shower for themselves! But at the very least, be reminded that there's a meteor shower going on right above us, and that the universe is amazing!"

Sophie Diao, doodler

Perseid meteor shower

credits:  copyright 2018 Getty Images

https://www.kshb.com/weather/

Resources: 

My usual readers know I wrote different posts on Perseid meteor shower: 

Education & science : Catching the Falling Stars, the Perseids (2015)

Catching the Falling Stars : Science curriculum (2013)

For more information, students can visit NASA and arthSky.

Now, let's back to the theme of this post, July in review, a list of the most popular posts of the last month:

Here my list of the most popular posts of the month :

A lesson of Mindfulness : Youth soccer team & his coach in Thailand

World Cup 2018: sport values

Nelson Mandela Centenary : Be the Legacy : resources for teachers

Summer holidays... just a weekend !

Schools : International Day of Friendship ! Resources & stories

Hope you will enjoy, as a sky watcher, next 12 August or 13 August admiring the beauty of this annual awesome event.

Happy  viewing!

G-Souto

10.08.2018

Copyright © 2018G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

July in review & Perseid Meteor Shower : Look up to the stars ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

August rundown of the most read posts : back to school

Serralves | Porto, Portugal

https://www.facebook.com/fundacaoserralves

As the summer comes to an end and the new academic year begins, teachers are a sort of excited and a bit nervous. Students are feeling more or less like you. They are excited, nervous, curious about  you and the new curriculum.

After the first two or three days at school, why not go out with your students making some interesting activities free-of-textbooks and trying to know each other better at a park near you school? 

You could walk on the park, taking some photos with your smartphones and iphones, talking about each pic. Why not share your childhood memories of playing in nature ? 

Outdoor playing activities are essential for children’s personal and academic growth. To start the new academic year, they  will feel free to let their imaginations run wild and their creativity will flourish. Find out who these kids really are. After that you will be prepared to start your lessons and find out what your students love deeply and then build the curriculum around that.

August was my summer break. However I wrote a few posts in English and French, sharing resources to ease and enrich the lives of educators and their students that will facilitate effective teaching and learning.

Here are the most popular posts of the last month:

Educational Apps : Words (languages) 

The world needs more heroes : WHD2014 & WPD2014

Jeunes enseignants : avez-vous vu Monsieur Lazhar?

International Youth Day 2014

Wherever you are for the new academic year, don't lose your joy and spontaneity of teaching. Teaching is a challenging job with many unique frustrations, but the rewards of teaching are numerable. Keep that in mind.

I'm back to posting the normal roundup every week.

G-Souto

03.09.2014

Copyright © 2014G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

August rundown of the most read posts : back to school by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.