ON ASTRONOMY: PERSEID SHOWER HIGHLIGHTS THE SKY

You may think you gained some mass over the summer, and you would be correct. We all have. Scientists announced the other day that a small subatomic particle called the neutrino has mass after all. There are about 1 followed by twelve zeros worth of neutrinos tunneling through your body every second. Even though there are a lot of neutrinos in your body, don't be alarmed, combined they still, weigh less than a few atoms! Although it might not make a big difference to you, some astronomers were hoping the news would account for the missing mass of the universe.

In trying to determine the ultimate fate of our universe, astronomers try to account for all the matter to see if the pull of gravity or the explosion of the big bang will win out. If there is enough mass, gravity would win out, and everything would someday come crashing inward forming the big crunch. If there is not enough matter then the universe will expand forever and will suffer a long, slow, cold death. Even though it might not happen for several more billion years, some of us just want to know.

Currently, astronomers can only find 10 percent of the matter needed for gravity to win out. Because of their large numbers, astronomers hoped the neutrino's newly found mass would tip the scales. Despite their large numbers, the neutrinos account for only an additional 20 percent.

So we are still looking for 70 percent of the universe. Let me know if you have any new leads.

August is one of my favorite times of the year. Certainly not because of the low humidity and clear blue skies! August is Perseid meteor shower time. One of the most predictable of meteor showers, the Perseid shower appears to be coming from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which rises around midnight. They appear to come from the constellation Perseus just like the bugs appear to be coming straight at the windshield as you drive down the road.

The Perseid shower was the first one to be associated with a comet.

Astronomers noticed a correlation between the meteor shower's orbit and a comet by the name of Swift-Tuttle 1862. It turns out that comets shed trails of gas and dust in their orbits and when the Earth crosses their path, they slam into our atmosphere and produce their fiery streaks as the plunge to their demise.

The best time to look for meteors is on the morning of the 12th. While they appear to be coming from the direction of Perseus, you can expect to see their brief streaks most anywhere in the sky. You can expect to see about one good meteor per minute.

The Moon and Venus make a good showing on the 16th at sunrise and Mars greets us at dusk. Enjoy Mars while you can because it is rapidly fading having had its few weeks of fame. The Milky Way is nearing its peak and stretches from the southern to northern horizon. The bright star Vega is overhead but will remain bright for only another 10 million years. The brighter the candle, the sooner it burns out.

So, throw your extra mass on a blanket, watch the night sky's windshield for cosmic bugs, and enjoy an old fashioned cosmic, family event.

Dr. Michael Cobb is a physics professor at Southeast Missouri State University.