Fireworks & Meteor Showers

Our Phantom fireworks were awesome! I'm still excited 12 days later. Our favorite was Dragonslayer (or was it Dragon's Tears?), a must-buy for next season.

Speaking of fireworks, nature will be having a pretty cool display during the annual Perseids Meteor Showers August 11 and 12. Start nagging your parents now to make a camping reservation, because you’ll be able to see the meteor showers better away from city lights. Even if you’re in town, though, you might be able to spot a few meteors if you roam the sky with your eyes (don’t stare at one place), especially between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on the night/early morning of Aug. 11/12 and Aug. 12/13. What a great excuse to stay up late!

In the meantime, you can see Venus near the moon in the Western sky about one to two hours after sundown. I saw it over my neighbor’s house a week ago—it’s very bright and big. Saturn and Mars are becoming visible, too, above and to the left of the moon. This will continue into August.

Here are some great Web sites for more information on stargazing, astronomy, and physical science--all useful for school, come fall.
Night Sky-at-a-Glance Weekly chart from Sky and Telescope Magazine
Amazing Space Interactive lessons, nightly sky chart movie, and more.
Astronomy for Kids Sponsored by Astronomy Magazine, this site provides simple, fast facts; tips on star-gazing; and information about the sun and moon, spotting constellations, and navigating with the stars.
The Solar System Astronomy Magazine’s descriptions of individual planets.
San Jose State University Physics Site Demonstrations of physical properties and laws for middle and high school students studying physical science:
Kids Astronomy Really cool interactive site, though some may think it’s too simplistic.
StarChild The NASA student learning center. Choose Level 2
Imagine NASA student learning center for ages 14 and up.
Astronomy Web Site Directory NASA’s directory of other great astronomy Web sites for students.

Phantom or TNT?

So far this Independence Day, we have tried the smoke balls and ground blooms made by the Phantom fireworks company, and I have to say that they do not compare to the quality of the TNT fireworks we bought last year. These smoke balls, for instance, do not produce the colored cloud that TNT smoke balls do; it's just a little stream. They also don't last as long. There simply isn't enough smoke to pretend you are traveling by Floo Network. (See photo at right.) I'm curious to know if anybody has TNT and Phantom side by side so they can compare. Are the smoke balls of both brands pathetic this year, or are Phantom fireworks just inferior? Perhaps both brands' smoke balls contain less powder this year so that they cost less to produce? Or did we just happen to buy a lame batch? I hope the Phantom fountains are good, because we chose not to go to the big fireworks in the sky in favor of a ground show at home. Looking forward to the King of Bling as our finale...