Tonight the earth passes through a "cloud" of space dust and mini meteors called the Perseid Showers - should be visible anywhere in the world tonight. So long as you are away from streetlights and have a clear sky you should see several meteors a minute passing through the heavens
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8193769.stm 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Unfortunately only the Scots will get a view of it  Like this site? Buy some RRSPORT goodies to show your support!

all cloud here - annoyingly last night the sky was completely clear here and apparently it started last night - however we didn't realise

The Perseid "meteor shower" happens every year around August and will be in the NE portion of the sky about 35 degree's from the horizon.

Alas the cloud will prevent me from seeing it here in the NW. WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

We have a very thin layer of high cirrus clouds here tonight but twilight is only just turning to full night so sky is quite light still. All I have seen are lots of bats out hunting so far...................... ! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

You should be seeing it by now Tim. It actually started back in July but today is the zenith. It will still be viewable over the next week or so but with a lower ZHR (zenithal hourly rate). The ZHR tonight should be about 100 so plenty to see - if you have no cloud spoiling the view..

As long as you keep looking NE you should see it. WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

Still too light here can just see a planet (don't have a current almanac at home to see which one it is but I suspect it is Jupiter) in the south about 10 degrees elevation 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Aye thats Jupiter. You may also be able to see Neptune just to the left (East) and up by about 2 degree's if you have a decent pair of bins. If you look directly up you may also be able to see a bright star right above your head. thats Vega. You can track the "summer triangle" asterism left from Vega to the star Deneb and then south west to the star nearer the horizon called altair.

Given your job I am guessing you know all this anyway? WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

Wozz, the only stars I know these days are in the constellation of GPS! Haven't picked up a sextant in decades. The only thing we use the stars for now is checking the compasses but I do have lots of experience of sextant navigation and using sun and stars to position fix. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Hah - a little like me and map reading. Oh I love the nanny state and all its trinkets!

I am a bit of an amateur astronomer but don't have a telescope. Just star maps and a set of 10 x 50 Bins on a tripod. WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

I'm using my Steiner Navigator 7x50 bins - what is the scintelating red/white/ green body in the NE at about 12 degrees (it isn't a plane as it is not changing bearing or elevation. Have seen a few meteors, and about 5 years ago at this time of year I remember seeing these showers during the day! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

There are a few messiers around that area but I am not sure which one it is. You have M13 just to the south and east of the perseids.

There is also M103 in that direction which could be visible with the bins but thats higher than 12 degree's. There is also a double cluster on my star map right on the line of the perseids but it has no name on my star map.

If you want to have a butchers for yourself and try and work it out install this http://www.stellarium.org/ which should help. WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

Looks like its probably the M34 Nebula which is more ENE.

If you are lucky enough to have no light noise up there in Scotland you will likely be fortunate enough to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Lucky if you can.

Alas I have an early morning so I will have to resign myself to missing the Perseid zenith again this year  WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)

I'm out in the countryside but there are enough street lights to be annoying but worse are my neighbours security lights! Just been outside for 10 minutes and obviously this has been on the evening news as several were out in the courtyard trying to spot them................................... they were most impressed that I could identify so many stars / planets and the messiers! Yes and we could see a bit of the milkyway, but I'm used to seeing that anyway. Best place for me to go stargazing is when we are in the Gulf of Aden - really clear unpolluted sky at night and you can see southern and northern stars as you are only at 12North - folks are most impressed to see the Southern Cross so far north when you point it out low on the horizon. It's also dead easy to see satellites there as well 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Damn - I need to sneak on board one of your ships with my bins and a butty box.

You can see satellites and the ISS easily with your bins. In fact yon a clear night you will probably see a few satellites - just not with the naked eye.

I live out in the country and even then street lights are a real pain. This is why I have invested in a tent and intend to take myself off to darker skies over the coming months. WINNER - 2009 Best Newcomer Award
'09 TDV6 XS Stornaway Grey

'06 BMW 730 D SE (Gone)
'08 A4 TDi SLine Avant (Gone)
Large pack of Flake Cakes (Gone)
6 pack of Guiness (Gone)