The best meteor showers of the summer began this week, and astronomers are predicting this will be the best year to observe the celestial phenomenon.
The Perseid meteor shower begins on Sunday, It continues through September, with August 12th being the best day to see shooting stars..
Stargazing is expected to reveal between 100 and 150 stars. shooting star The number of suns visible per hour can be seen across the United States, but even more can be seen in areas without light pollution.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth Pushing through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle as it moves through its inner orbit Solar System.
The Perseids (photographed in Slovenia) are considered the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. The pieces of space junk that interact with the atmosphere to form the meteor shower originate from the comet Swift-Tuttle.
The Perseid meteor shower can be seen with the naked eye in areas with clear skies and low cloud cover. Light Pollutionand a free perspective.
The best time to view the meteor shower is between 11pm and dawn, when the sky is at its darkest.
To spot the meteor shower, look for Perseus, the 24th largest constellation in the sky.
This constellation is located in the northern region of the night sky.
There are apps that make finding constellations easy, such as “Night Sky” and “Sky Guide,” which simply point a phone camera at the sky and reveal what the user sees.
The Perseid meteors travel at speeds of up to 133,200 miles per hour as they impact Earth’s atmosphere, and most of them become visible to observers about 60 miles above the Earth’s surface.
The Perseid meteor shower originates from the 16-mile-diameter Comet Swift-Tuttle and was first associated with the phenomenon in 1865 by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli.
The first meteors of the Perseid meteor shower began streaking across the night sky on Sunday, but astronomers expect the shower to peak on August 12, with activity continuing through September 1. The Perseids get their name from the constellation Perseus, which is visible in parts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Perseids travel at 133,200 miles per hour when they hit Earth’s atmosphere, and most of them are visible about 60 miles above the Earth’s surface. Pictured: A Perseid meteor seen in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado in 2018.
The meteors are seen as Earth passes over remnants of ice and rock left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it came within 84,000 miles of Earth in 1992. The comet orbits Earth once every 133 years.
“Most other comets are much smaller, with nuclei only a few kilometers in diameter,” said Bill Cook, director of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.
“As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produced a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs.”
Cook recommended being prepared to catch the fireball in a dark location, away from city lights and light pollution.
“While the fireballs can be seen from urban areas, the much more numerous and faint Perseids are only visible from rural areas,” Cook said.
The name Perseus comes from the constellation Perseus, which is visible in parts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
“Perseus is a character from Greek mythology,” said Francisco Salas, manager of Fisk Planetarium. University of Colorado Boulder Today.
“Perseus is the one who killed Medusa. When he decapitated her he killed the sea monster. And do you know what happens when he looks at Medusa’s head? He turns into a rock.”
Other myths followed the constellation Perseus and became associated with the Perseid meteor shower.
Like the Perseids, the Perseid meteor shower can be seen almost anywhere in the world, but is best seen in Found in the Northern Hemisphere.
