Harmelia Gardens Air Scout Group
Picture above : The perigee moon, or supermoon, rising over Mount Eden in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sunday morning. Photograph: Simon Runting/REX
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From the "Guardian Newspaper"
A dramatic supermoon is set to accompany this year's Perseid meteor shower, one of the most anticipated events on the skywatcher's calendar.
Given a dark, clear sky in a normal year, it is common to see more than 100 of the meteors an hour during the second week in August. But this year the Perseids have a bright shining rival. On Sunday, two days before the meteor shower reaches its peak, the moon will become full.
Coincidentally, it will also have reached the point in its orbit that is closest to the Earth, known as perigee. The supermoon will be up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons during the year.
On one level, this is bad news, according to Dr Bill Cooke from Nasa's meteoroid environment office. "Lunar glare wipes out the black, velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts."
But all is not lost. The debris stream left by comet Swift-Tuttle, which produces the Perseids, is wide, so the shooting stars could make an appearance well before the moon becomes full. Cooke added that the Perseids were also "rich in fireballs as bright as Jupiter or Venus" that would remain visible despite the moon's glare.
Source of detail above : http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/10/supermoon-perseids-meteor-shower-star-perigee-comet
| Perseids meteor shower for Johannesburg (Night between 11 Aug and 12 Aug) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Azimuth/ Direction | Altitude |
| Tue 04:00 | 14° | 3.0° |
| Tue 05:00 | 6° | 5.3° |
| Tue 06:00 | 358° | 5.9° |
One of our junior Scouts and his brother went for a flip out to the Vaal dam area during the school holidays.
The pilot allowed him to fly the aircraft (a Piper) under supervision for about 30 minutes! Needless to say the Scout was super “chuffed”
The above photos taken on the day showing a pre-flight inspection check and the other whilst flying.
Well done to our Scout and thanks to the pilot for providing the opportunity.
Detail submitted by the grand-father of the Scout. Thanks from Scouters : HGASG
RHINO SA Project is a youth-driven, outreach and awareness initiative aimed at educating today's youth about the unmitigated and ongoing slaughter of South Africa's rhinos, and, thereby actively involving the youth of South Africa in Rhino Conservation and Heritage Preservation. 
On the 15th of March 2014 Sibusiso Vilane was inaugurated as the new Chief Scout of SCOUTS South Africa in the presence of nearly 500 youths and invited guests in Nelspruit Mpumalanga.
When addressing the Cubs and Scouts after he was inaugurated he stated “I pride myself in serving you. My message to you is never to limit yourself. You are Limitless! Strive for great heights and remember that it is not about where you were born, where you live or what you become, do or have. It’s about what legacy you want to leave behind.
Remember that with determination, hard work and perseverance there is nothing you cannot achieve! I encourage all of you to take all the opportunities that the Scout Movement is giving you and make them count!” Read his inaugural address here
Founded in 1926, WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) is one of South Africa's oldest and largest non-government environmental organisations. WESSA is a Section 21 company registered as an Incorporated Association not for gain.
WESSA Share-Net is an innovative South African-based, informal networking project that supports environmental education through the provision of resource materials.