The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks in a single day Sunday and into the predawn hours Monday, giving skywatchers world wide an opportunity to take pleasure in probably the greatest taking pictures star shows of the 12 months.
The Perseids are normally probably the most anticipated skywatching occasions of the 12 months as a result of the bathe tends to ship a excessive fee of taking pictures stars. Climate allowing, stargazers might see as many as 100 per hour from darkish areas.
“Not solely is the bathe wealthy in shiny meteors and fireballs — No. 1 in truth — it additionally peaks in mid-August when the climate continues to be heat and cozy,” Invoice Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Setting Workplace at NASA’s Marshall Area Flight Middle in Alabama, said in a NASA blog post.
Consultants are predicting favorable circumstances for this 12 months’s present, significantly as a result of the moon will set by round 11:30 p.m. native time, which implies the taking pictures stars won’t be washed out by shiny moonlight.
If circumstances are clear, it is best to select an unobstructed viewing location underneath the darkest potential skies, away from metropolis lights and different types of mild air pollution.
Within the Northern Hemisphere, stargazers ought to head out between midnight and daybreak. NASA recommends letting the eyes modify to the darkish for about 45 minutes and avoiding taking a look at cellphones or different shiny screens.
Whereas the meteor bathe’s peak will seemingly produce the best fee of taking pictures stars, Perseid meteors have been seen for weeks — and can proceed to be seen after this weekend. The bathe occurs yearly from round mid-July to late August.
It happens when Earth passes by a cloud of mud particles and particles left over from a comet often known as 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was found in 1862. The streaks of sunshine are created because the items hit the environment and vaporize, forsaking shiny trails as they disintegrate.
