Nebraskaland

18 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2015 March 3 Prescribed Burn Workshop Burning tree piles, Guide Rock Community Center, 120 W. Douglas St., Guide Rock, 6-8 p.m. March 4 Lake and Pond Management Workshop Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 3125 Portia St., Lincoln, 6 p.m., 402-476-2729 March 6-31 Fort Kearny State Historical Park visitor center open for crane viewing and history, Kearney, 308-865-5305 March 7 Leprechaun Chase 10K Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), Ashland, 4 p.m., 402-944-2523 March 7 Bird Banding Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Gretna, 9 a.m., 402-332-3901 March 7 Youth Fishing Instructor Training Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Gretna, 9 a.m., 402-471-5591 March 7 Spring Turkey Hunting Workshop Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Gretna, 1 p.m., 402-471-5547 March 12 Prescribed Burn Workshop Fire weather, Homestead National Monument, 8523 W. Neb. Hwy. 4, Beatrice, 1-5 p.m. March 12 Lake and Pond Management Workshop College Park, 3180 W. U.S. Highway 34, Grand Island, 6 p.m., Go.unl.edu/ GIpondworkshop March 14, 29 Archery 101: Know Your Bow Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, 4703 N. 44th St., Lincoln, 4-6 p.m., 402-471-6141 March 17 Spring Turkey Hunting Workshop Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, 4703 N. 44th St., Lincoln, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 402-471-6141 March 18 Lake and Pond Management Workshop Nebraska Extension Office, 8015 W. Center Road, Omaha, 6 p.m., Go.unl.edu/ Omahapondworkshop March 18 Prescribed Burn Workshop Firebreak management, Ponca State Park, 88090 Neb. Spur 26E, noon-3 p.m. March 20 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Meeting, Columbus, 8 a.m. March 28 National Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament Lancaster Events Center, Lincoln, 8:30 a.m. March 25 Archery and youth archery spring turkey hunting season opens March 31 Trapping seasons close for muskrat and beaver Con ontact t t the Ne Nebraska Gam ame and n Parks k Co Commis ission n at 40 402-471-0641 41 or visit Ou OutdoorNe Nebr braska ka.org fo for more inf i ormation. Vis isit it it HuntS tSafeNebraska.o a.org for g a l a l a list ist ist ist of of of of hu hu h nter education n classes and and Boa Boa B tSa tS tSafe feNebraska.org org for a list g of of boating safe afety classes. by Jerry Kane Meteor Showers By Cristina Woodworth One of the best ways to experience nature's true wonders is to stand beneath a black expanse of sky and gaze up at a meteor shower. With more than 10 major showers viewable throughout the year, stargazers have ample opportunities to catch one of earth's very own light shows. Here is your guide to the basics of meteor showers, when they are easiest to see and the best places to view them across Nebraska. What causes a meteor shower? During a meteor shower, there are a higher than average number of meteors visible that all appear to radiate from a particular place in the sky. This happens when the Earth passes through a meteor stream. These streams usually originate from comet nuclei, which is a ball of ice with grains of dust and rocks embedded in it. As the ball nears the sun in its orbit, the ice evaporates, rocks and dust are released and the comet eventually disintegrates entirely. The comet debris gradually spreads out around the orbit, forming a meteor stream. When is the best time to view meteor showers? There are about a dozen reasonably large meteor showers per year that can be viewed from anywhere in the world, including Nebraska. Meteor showers are annual events and come at the same time each year. However, because the meteors are not uniformly distributed about the orbit, the strength of a shower can differ from one year to the next. An important factor when trying to view a meteor shower is the moon phase. The visibility of a shower is greatly reduced by a bright moon since meteor showers are usually most active in the few hours before dawn. Meteor showers are much harder to see anytime before midnight. Where are the best places to view meteors? To see meteor showers, you should find a dark place away from city lights. In particular, you should avoid places where lights are bright in the East since that is where you will normally be looking for meteors. Which meteor showers are easiest to see? Meteor showers vary from a relatively few meteors per hour to quite large numbers. Those with A clear night and a good telescope makes meteor watching fantastic.

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