First it was clear, then it was cloudy!
On Friday 11th of November, we had the Taurid meteor shower watch on the AstroTurf, at William Perkin. It was set to be a clear night, so that we could see lots of meteors, however it ended up being cloudy with a few gaps in the cloud. We saw Mars and Jupiter, and a rainbow halo around the Moon. This is caused by the refraction and reflection of light from ice crystals that are suspended in thin, wispy, cirrus or cirrostratus clouds that are at high altitudes. As light passes through the ice crystals, it is bent at a 22-degree angle, creating a halo of 22 degrees.
One the astronomy lesson was over, the students then laid down to watch the sky, to spot any Taurid meteors. Most students said they saw a meteor, Mr Aldridge saw one. When the clouds gathered, we could see some flashes behind the clouds at times which indicated the fact that meteors were actually shooting through the sky, but we couldn't always see the actual meteors themselves. During the middle of the watch, we saw some fireworks, and gave out hot chocolate to the students, and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. Thank you to Mr Aldridge, Miss Masoumi, and Reverend Christopher Ramsay (WP's first Chair of Governors), for their time and support, accompanying us on the trip, I couldn't do it without them. Can't wait for next year!!!
Clear Skies everyone!
Ms Kapila
Science Teacher and
Leader of Elite Scientists
