If you’re an astronomer, there’s something you’ll want to know.
Other than that Full “Buck” Moon On July 21st, another spectacle will light up the night sky. Perseid meteor shower.
It’s one of the best meteor shows of the year, and with summer weather often making viewing more comfortable than the winter show, you’ll see a fantastic number of shooting stars to wish upon.
Whether you have a wish you want to come true or you just want to gaze at the stars, here’s what you need to know.
When is the Perseid meteor shower? When does it peak?
It will begin on July 14th and run until September 1st, 2024.
Space.com The phenomenon will continue through September, but “the meteor shower will peak between the night of Sunday, August 11th and Monday, August 12th,” he noted.
Interestingly, last year Perseid meteor shower The meteor shower also peaked on the same day.
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
Tim BrothersTechnical Instructor and Observatory Manager Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Perseid meteor shower is a type of meteor shower that can be seen around the same time every year, he told Wicked Local last year.
“The Perseid meteor shower Comet Swift-Tuttle 109P“Comets pass through the inner solar system many times, leaving behind little particles,” Brothers said in a past interview. “As the Earth orbits it, it passes through a cloud of those debris, and those particles burn up in the atmosphere.”
according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle.
“It takes 133 years to go around the sun.” National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The website states: “The Swift-Tuttle Telescope last reached perihelion (its closest point to the Sun) in 1992 and is scheduled to return again in 2125.”
How fast do the Perseid meteors travel?
Comet Swift-Tuttle is a large comet — According to NASA, the core is 16 miles in diameter, more than twice the size of the object believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
“A typical Perseid meteor shower “While they’re in space, they’re called meteors when they hit Earth’s atmosphere, traveling at 133,200 miles per hour,” NASA reports. Perseid meteor shower They are very small, about the size of a grain of sand. Most of the pieces don’t fall to the ground, but if they do, they are called meteorites.”
How to observe the Perseid meteor shower
As always, dark skies are ideal for stargazing.
“We usually suggest getting out of the city, finding a square or hilltop where you can lie down under the stars and wait for the show to really hit its climax late at night or early in the morning,” Brothers said in a past interview. Wicked Local“In New England, visiting a local preserve or park that turns off the lights at night is ideal. Another option is to go along the coast away from big cities. — The advantage is that it is the constellation with the most “shooting stars” to be seen.
Block Island, 12 miles offshore, boasts some of the darkest skies in the state, especially Perseid meteor shower In August.
Would you like to appreciate the universe?Read the beginner’s guide to stargazing in Rhode Island here
State park beaches are often cited as the best places for stargazing, but they close at sunset except for authorized campers at state campgrounds or those with special use permits for certain activities. Instead, consider finding a spot a little further away from the roads in darker parts of the state.
“Make sure to turn off any outdoor lights, stop looking at any devices, and give your eyes time to adjust to the dark,” Brothers says. “It takes about five minutes to mostly adjust and about 30 minutes to fully adjust to the nighttime environment.”
