The Natural Gait Blog

Friday, August 13, 2010

8th Annual Haybarn Rendezvous

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball

Perseid Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball
Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
SPACE.com tariq Malik
space.com Managing Editor
space.com Mon Aug 9, 11:33 pm ET

The Perseid meteor shower is peaking this week and announced its annual August arrival with a bright fireball over Alabama, NASA officials say.

A small 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide meteor caused the fireball when it met a fiery demise Aug. 3 while streaking through Earth's atmosphere, according to officials at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The fireball was observed by skywatching cameras operated by the space center.

"It's a very good start to this year's Perseid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of Aug. 12-13 between midnight and dawn," explained NASA spokesperson Janet Anderson in a statement from the space center.

The fireball occurred at about 9:56 p.m. local time and was low in the sky when it entered Earth's atmosphere about 70 miles (112.6 km) above the town of Paint Rock. It appeared about 9.5 degrees above the horizon. For comparison, your fist held at arm's length is equal to roughly 10 degrees of the night sky.

NASA observations found the meteor to be hurtling through the atmosphere at a phenomenal 134,000 mph (215,652 kph).

"At such a tremendous velocity, the meteor cut a path some 65 miles [104.6 km] long, finally burning up 56 miles [90 km] above Macay Lake, just northeast of the town of Warrior," Anderson wrote. "The meteor was about six times brighter than the planet Venus and would be classified as a fireball by meteor scientists."

Because of its relatively low approach in the sky and its long, shallow path, the meteor qualified as a so-called Earth-grazing meteor, NASA officials said. Earth-grazing meteors are space rocks that enter the Earth's atmosphere at a low angle, from the point of view of a given skywatcher, and appear to scoot slowly and dramatically along the horizon.

The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event that occurs in mid-August when Earth passes close to the orbit of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Material left behind by the comet rams into the Earth's atmosphere during the pass at about 37 miles per second (60 km/second), creating a regular show of "shooting stars" that has become known as the Perseid meteor shower. Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 and most recently observed in 1992. It takes about 130 years to orbit the sun.

(This SPACE.com Perseid meteor shower viewing guide shows how to observe the event. This sky map shows where to look to see the meteor shower.)

SPACE.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao has said the 2010 Perseid meteor shower promises to be one to remember for skywatchers with clear skies. Under good conditions, skywatchers could see about one meteor per minute depending on observing conditions, he said in a recent column.

"The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yields 90 to 100 meteors per hour," Rao explained. "Anyone in a city or near bright suburban lights will see far fewer."

* Galleries: Perseids in 2005 and 2006
* Meteor Shower Viewer's Guide
* Top 10 Perseid Facts

* Original Story: Perseid Meteor Shower Unleashes Bright Fireball

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

ACTHA Ride at The Natural Gait

Image via Wikipedia

August 7, 2010
Six Miles
Six Natural Obstacles
Six Judges

or... just come and ride the trails!

Please join with us, and have fun, learn, win prizes and most of all help us stop the neglect that thousands of horses find themselves enduring. There are wonderful rescues doing everything they
can…but they need help. Let’s have fun and feel good doing it!
ACTHA Website
The Natural Gait

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Doc Hammill Horse Driving Clinic June 25-27 at The Natural Gait

Doc will teach us to use the language of the horse in ground skills, hands on fitting and adjusting the harness, hitching the vehicle, driving the draft and driving horse.
Dr. Doug (Doc) Hammill is a semi retired Veterinarian and comes to us from Kalispell MT. Doc has taught private instruction, college courses and conducted clinics on driving and working horses in harness for over 30 years. Doc conducts very few clinics away from his beautiful ranch in Montana, so The Natural Gait is thrilled to host Doc’s clinic and welcome him back for his 6Th clinic in his boyhood state of Iowa.

The Natural Gait
Call today and reserve your spot for the clinic and don't forget to reserve your room! 877-776-2208
Breakfast and lunch included.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

The Natural Gait Hosts Concerts in a Natural Indian Cave.

Cave Concert Series - Lower Gait

John Stravers and Big Blue Sky - June 12th, 2010

Their musical style includes the influence of folk, bluegrass, blues, and reggae. In their music they seek a closer connection to the planet, and indeed their musical writing comes from the inspiration of wild places and a celebration of our natural heritage and the natural rhythms of life.

Space for this concert will be limited, so book your spot right away, price includes dinner. Dinner will be served at 6:30 Entertainment starts at 7:30 call 877-776-2208 for more information and to purchase your ticket. Only $25.00 for dinner and the concert. Call now and book your seat.

The Natural Gait

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