Hello everyone!

Now I know that Mr. Ullrich's main blog already mentions this topic, but I wanted to find out more about it.

During today and tomorrow, it will be the best time this year to see the Leonid Meteor Shower. The best time to try to see it is in the last two or three hours BEFORE sunrise, when the moon has set. You might be able to see from about 15-20 meteors PER HOUR!

If you want to look at it, you should try looking toward the constellation Leo in the eastern sky. From there, you are able to see "shooting stars" from the Lenonids. 

If you do decide to wake up that early to see it, make sure you are bundled up. Also, you might want a blanket or reclining chair so that you don't get a stiff neck.

If you'd like more information, I used Space.com. The link is: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/leonid-meteor-shower-peaking-now-101116.html

Questions: (These are easier to answer if you read the whole article)

1) Every few years, there are much more meteors than normal (from hundreds to thousands per hour). How often does this happen? If the last one was in 2002, when will the next one be (Hint: If you read the article, it tells you how many years are in between each)?

2) Is it easier to see the shower in/near the city or in the countryside? Why?

3) The article states that "The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event that returns every mid-November. The shower is caused by material left behind the comet Tempel-Tuttle when it passes near Earth's orbit during its regular trip through the solar system. "

If this is true then what would happen if the orbit changed? What would happen if it only passed near Earth's orbit every, say, 3 years?

4) Personal Opinion: Would you be willing to wake up that early just to see the shower that happens annually? Why or why not? If you would, would you want to see it every year or just once? If you wouldn't, would you at least want to look at photos and videos of it?

(My opinion is that I would see it once in a while. I'd see it and then once the memory starts to fade, I'd watch it again. That way it'll stay ingrained in my memory and I don't have to see it every year.)

If you'd like to see a short video of last year's meteor shower, visit this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/16/meteor-show-november-2009_n_359955.html

Here are some  more pictures as well:

Enjoy!

~Jess <3 [=

Hi guys! So it's been a while and I've been lazy so I've been putting this off, but here I go...

I think that it is very possible for there to be LIFE on other planets, but I'm not so certain about aliens. Even if there were, we make aliens seem like they're green skinned and all that stuff, but what if, if there were any, they looked just like us? Has anyone ever thought that?

Well now more than ever, there is talk of other living things, or aliens, because of the discovery of Gliese 581g. (I don't know what that means or why it was named that way so don't ask me.) Apparently, it is far enough away from the sun so that the water will not boil, but close enough so that the water won't freeze. It is very important that it has water because otherwise, it cannot sustain human life. Without water there would be no plants, without plants, herbivores would die, without herbivores, carnivores would die, and therefore, we'd end up dying (such a sad thought). This being said, a planet like Earth is very hard to find and therefore very unique. First off, it is hard to find any planets far enough and yet close enough to contain water. We know it is hard to find because all these years, they've never found one that has water, until possibly, Gliese 581g (I'm not sure if this is accurate, but this is what I've heard).

That being said, I do believe there MIGHT be a slight chance that there is LIFE on other planets, not necessarily ALIENS though. Even if Gliese 581g doesn't have the water or isn't right, I'm sure that one day in the near future, we'll find another one. There is almost no limit to what we can find out (until we find out EVERYTHING, but that's highly improbable).

For you're enjoyment, here are some pictures of what aliens are thought to look like:

 (yup, Yoda from Star Wars, but hey, he's "from a galaxy far, far away".

So in our Earth Science period, a question was asked a few days ago about when the next solar eclipse in the US would be. I am reading a book called Every Soul a Star, and at the end, the author wrote a little information and according to her research, the next total solar eclipse in the US will be on August 21, 2017 and can be seen from Oregon all the way to South Carolina. 

If I could I would love to see it, but hey, you never know right?

~Jess

Hi everyone! I'm Jessica. Let me introduce myself.

I am in 8th grade. I have many hobbies. Some of them include reading, writing, dancing, playing my violin, singing, listening to music, watching TV, playing soccer and softball, etc.