The annual light show caused by a bunch of space dust particles will peak on the night of August 11 and 12. There will be a full moon during the peak, and the rule of thumb is to have a dark sky to see most of the stars.
The worst possible circumstances for spotters will be seen this year during the peak of the Perseids.
It is enjoyable to look up at night. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Most people have to drive about forty miles from their city to see the shower. August 11 and the early morning of August 12 are the only times you can cram that into your schedule. It is almost always worthwhile to look up at the sky.
If you have good visibility, you can usually see four to eight meteors per hour. When there is no full moon, you can see up to 100 per hour. It will be more of a hunt during the peak of the Perseids, which coincides with the full moon. It will be more exciting when you are able to see one.
Don't look at your phone while you look for meteorites. You can't see night vision.
The moon will rise at the same time the sun is setting and setting when the sun is rising according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The best time to view the sky is just before dawn when the moon is low. The show ends at 5:11 a.m. on Friday if you are in Maine and at 6:28 a.m. if you are in Miami. If you wake up early, you will have time to adjust to the dark before the sky begins to lighten. It's possible to stay up very late. It's up to you.
They are usually in the northeast. It would be silly to say that you should focus on one location during the peak because the Perseids are visible all over the sky. It would be silly to suggest that you use a telescope. Put as much dark sky as you can at once.
The comet named Swift-Tuttle caused a trail of space dust when it hit Earth. Swift-Tuttle is a 16-mile-wide rock that is in a good position to slam into Earth and do some damage, but probably not for hundreds of thousands, or millions of years. Swift-Tuttle was the last person to visit our solar system. Since then, the show has become less spectacular.
Think of the cloud of dust as a bunch of bugs in a circle, similar to the people in a car. Every so often, the road our car is on puts us on a collision course with the bugs. There are splatters on the car.
Our car's path collides with the bugs' path in the same spot on the windshield every time. The rocks colliding with that one spot give a false impression that they came from the northeastern sky, where the constellation Perseus is located. The "point of origin" is the reason why the "radius" of the shower is called "Persuasion". That's not true. The constellation Perseus is only about 60 miles above the surface of the Earth, so there's no reason for you to see the Perseids.
It's possible. The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Robert Lunsford as saying that stargazers would be able to see about ten per hour. As the moon gets brighter, you may see less than ten per hour. There is plenty of time after the peak, when the moon is waning again, to try and catch a glimpse of the Perseids.
What's the next thing? You shouldn't think of this year as a peak. If you have a blanket and some hot cocoa in your car, you'll be able to see the Perseids.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
