About us
Physics for Fun is a community for anyone who's curious about how the universe works. Whether you're a student, a hobbyist, a professional, or just someone who enjoys asking "why?", you'll find plenty to talk about here.
Our meetups are as much about the people as the physics. Some feature presentations or demonstrations. Others are simply good conversations that wander wherever curiosity leads—from black holes and quantum mechanics to mathematics, engineering, philosophy, or even the occasional completely unrelated tangent.
You don't need a physics degree or any special background to join us. Bring your curiosity, ask questions, share what you've been reading lately, or just listen. If you keep coming, you'll almost certainly pick up a few new ideas along the way—often without realizing it.
We enjoy thoughtful, evidence-based discussions and welcome different perspectives. The goal isn't to be the smartest person in the room; it's to leave knowing something you didn't when you walked in.
Upcoming events
9
Meteor Shower - Perseids - July 17 to Aug. 24 - Personal Activity
Location not specified yetYou do not need to sign up for this event. It is a placeholder only.
This is a personal challenge activity. If you have questions, need help, or want to organize with other members feel free to post comments below.
The International Meteor Organization has this to say...
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24.. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal hourly rates seen from rural locations range from 30-50 shower members per hour at maximum. The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero. When at maximum activity. In 2026, the moon is new on August 12 so conditions are optimum for viewing this shower.
Shower details - Radiant: 03:12 +58.1° - ZHR: 100 - Velocity: 37 miles/sec (swift - 59km/sec) - Parent Object: 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Next Peak - The Perseids will next peak on the Aug 12-13, 2026 night. On this night, the moon will be 0% full.
Austin Physics for Fun has this to say...
"Where is a good place to see the meteor shower?"
Good question, the darker the better. For the Austin area going either E or W will provide darker skies. I'd suggest looking at a light pollution map to help focus on areas as well.
https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ https://darksitefinder.com/
https://www.cleardarksky.com/maps/lp/large_light_pollution_map.html
https://djlorenz.github.io/astronomy/lp2006/overlay/dark.html
Because meteor showers are pieces of rock and dust on an orbit that intersects Earth's orbit at some point in time and space the best time to pick as the middle of your observing window is 2am local. This is because of the way the sun, the earth, and the meteor shower interact. From sundown to 2am the light gets progressively darker and after 2am it gets progressively lighter until you hit sunrise.
You'll want a good low sitting chair that has a lot of lean back. You basically want to lay back and just stare at the sky unfocused until you see an event. They can last from very short blips to long streaks lasting several seconds. If you're lucky you'll see an air burst where a large bolide comes apart in a shower, they are extremely rare.
The best binoculars to use for stargazing are 25x70 but smaller ones will work. Larger ones have too much magnification and there is a lot of jitter just from your natural body motion so the image is not stable. Binoculars are not a lot of use for meteor showers.
The two best places to get basic information are IMO and AMS.
IMO Shower Calendar -- https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/
AMS Shower Calendar -- https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/
Austin Astronomical Society (AAS) - They have many activities through the year. Consider becoming a member. -- https://austinastro.org/
You should also use Stellarium to help map out the date/time/and sky position of the expected source of the shower for a given date. BE ADVISED meteor showers are EXTREMELY UNPREDICTABLE. So don't expect to go out there and see something in the first 15 minutes. You could be out there all night and not see anything. Other nights you may get lucky and see a shower that has a high rate.
Stellarium has the ability to turn the screen red so you can keep it live if you have a laptop at your observing site.
Stellarium -- https://stellarium.org/
2 attendees
DIY - Makers - Citizen Science - Nature Nerds - Sci/Tech Geeks - Open Workshop
Diogenes Makerspace, 1917 Hydro Dr · Austin, TX, Austin, TX, USPlease post the topics, questions, items of interest that you'd like to discuss or work on, in the comments below.
If one of them is of interest to you please "Like" the topic. If you have questions just use "Reply" to start/continue the thread.
Unconferences: A Better Way to Run Meetups (28/30) -- https://psychotechnology.substack.com/p/unconferences-a-better-way-to-run
Unconference -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Unconferences
- Nature Nerds Austin -- https://www.meetup.com/nature-nerds-of-austin/
- South Austin Makerspace -- https://www.meetup.com/southaustinmakerspace/?eventOrigin=your_groups
- Austin 3D Printing -- https://www.meetup.com/austin-3dprinting/?eventOrigin=your_groups
- Austin Physics for Fun -- https://www.meetup.com/physics-1/?eventOrigin=your_groups
- Austin FPGA -- https://www.meetup.com/austin-fpga-meetup-group/
- Austin Astronomy -- https://www.meetup.com/austin-astronomy-meetup/
- Austin Arduino and MicroController Meetup -- https://www.meetup.com/austin-web-mobile-electronic-club-for-beginners-experts/?eventOrigin=your_groupsThe purpose of this gathering is to build better communication between related meetups, foster community, brainstorm, and have fun!!!
Our default meetings are the first Thursday from 7p-9p and the third Saturday from 10a-12p. We share space with the private adult club Colette. From Wed. to Sat. in the evening they have exclusive use of the parking lot. Please park along the street (if you need help moving gear, just ask).
Hope to you see you here, and don't be afraid to pass the word along :)
1 attendee
Past events
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