Travel with your group to a dark spot on a clear, moonless night. Divide the group into two or more subgroups and have each group sit facing a different direction. Each group should look about halfway from the horizon to the zenith and count the number of meteors each member of the group sees in 15 minutes. Average the number of meteors seen by each member of the group and multiply by four to get the meteor rate in number per hour. If possible, repeat the experiment during one of the meteor showers listed in Table 15.1. Compare the meteor rates of the two observations.
Go to the website http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/ lists/MPNames.html where you will find a list of asteroid names. Have each member of your group use the list to try to make up a sentence using only asteroid names. (For example: Rockefellia Neva Edda McDonalda Hamburga.) After you have an entry from each member of the group, have the group decide which is the best entry.
