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Perseid meteor shower to give stargazers a show

By WTOP Staff

Greg Redfern, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Tonight is a sky watcher’s dream starting right at dusk. In the western sky after 9 p.m. look directly west from a location that has a good view free of trees and buildings. You will see a tight grouping of three fairly bright stars above the horizon. The uppermost star is really the planet Saturn, and to the lower right is the reddish, orange planet Mars. The star next to Mars is Spica.

Mars has grabbed headlines this week because of the landing of Curiosity, the latest Mars Rover. Now you can see Curiosity’s new home with your own eyes. Go ahead, say hello and wish her well on her two-year expedition. See the latest on her mission here.

NASA also has an ongoing mission on Saturn. Get more information on Cassini, “the solstice mission” by clicking here.

While you are looking at the trio, consider this: The speed limit of the universe is the speed of light or 186,000 miles per second. We can say how far away an object is by how long it takes for its light (or radio waves) to travel to Earth. Mars is 14 light minutes from Earth (152 million miles), Saturn is 85 light minutes distant (910 million miles) and Spica is 250 light years (1,500 quadrillion miles – add 12 zeroes to this number to see it in full form!) away. This gives one an appreciation for the size of our solar system and how far away the stars are. By the way, the moon is 1.5 light seconds distant (240,000 miles average) and the sun is 9 minutes (93 million miles average).

Next up for us tonight is the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Each year at this time our planet encounters a debris stream of comet dust made by Comet Swift-Tuttle, a periodic comet with a 133-year orbit. As Earth moves in its orbit around the sun, it collides with this debris stream and the dust particles hit our atmosphere to become shooting or falling stars.

Traveling at 134,000 miles per hour (36 miles per second), these bits hit the atmosphere 60 miles up and heat the atmosphere white hot, which is what we see. Usually the size of a grain of sand, they can also be as big as a pea or little larger. Speed plus size makes for a lot ogling while we watch the Perseids through the night.

The best place to see the Perseids is a location that is away from lights and obstructions such as trees and buildings. If you are a city dweller, you still may see the brightest Perseids as long as you are not staring into a street light or nestled in amongst tall buildings. The view of the Perseids is worth it from the suburbs as long as lights and obstructions are minimized as best you can. Out in the country or along the beach – where people usually vacation this time of year – is the best place to be.

You do not need any equipment to enjoy tonight’s show. Just find a place where you can put a lounge chair or blanket to see the sky. Starting at 11 p.m. in the northeastern constellation for which this meteor shower is named – Perseus – hangs low above the horizon and will rise higher as the night progresses. A meteor that is part of the shower can be traced back to Perseus. Sporadic meteors that are not part of the shower can be seen during the night, as well.

The shower should improve after midnight and from a dark sky site as possibly one to two meteors per minute can be spotted in the sky. The key to watching the shower is being comfortable. The Perseids can appear anywhere in the sky, but looking straight up gives you the widest viewing area. This is where the lounge chair or blanket come in handy.

Enjoy the shower with family, friends or your significant other. Food and beverages are an added plus. If you stay up all night, you will see the waning crescent moon rise in the east at about 2 a.m. with the planet Jupiter (42 light minutes or 477 million miles distant) just above it. At about 3 a.m., brilliant Venus (5.68 light minutes or 61 million miles distant) rises and adds to the sky show.

Learn more about the shower here. If you really get into watching the shower, NASA has an app that lets you count the number of Perseids you see and report your results.

See what’s in the sky this week.

Follow my daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. You can email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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