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Skygazers will see two events collide later this week: A supermoon will compete with the Perseid meteor shower to light up the night.
The Perseid meteor shower will peak Thursday night into the early hours of Friday, according to the American Meteor Society, although it has been active for weeks, with stargazers spotting the Perseids as early as late July.
Meteor activity will continue to increase through Thursday, with its peak coinciding with a full supermoon. The moon will rise as the sun sets on Thursday, and its light will wash out many of the fainter meteors, greatly reducing the number of shooting stars to 10 to 20 per hour “at best,” according to NASA.
This will be the last supermoon of this year’s trilogy; the last two were in June and July. It is expected to appear larger and brighter than a normal moon and will not be seen again until July 2023.
“Despite a full moon in the sky on the night of maximum activity, meteor rates will still be better than 95% of all other nights this year,” the AMS said. “The more stars you can see, the more meteors will also be visible. Regardless of the time of night, Perseid meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky.”
For the best chances, observers should look at the darker areas of the sky without the moon in view.
According to Accuweather, people look forward to the Perseids not only because of the 60 to 100 meteors per hour they bring, but also because they peak in late summer. Mild August nights have a better chance of cloud-free conditions than winter and spring nights, when it’s colder and often cloudier.
The best weather conditions for viewing the Perseids and the supermoon are forecast for much of the West Coast, the central plains and around the Great Lakes.
Accuweather is forecasting some clouds, then sunshine during the day Thursday, with temperatures topping 81 degrees in Detroit. The evening is expected to be clear with temperatures up to 57 degrees.
After the passage of the Perseids, the next moderate meteor shower will not happen until the end of October. The mid-autumn Orionids don’t produce as many shooting stars as the Perseids, but it’s still one of the best fall meteor showers.
Video: ESA’s Meteor Camera Captures the Perseid Streams
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Citation: Meteor shower, supermoon to light up night sky Thursday – but it’s a problem (2022 August 10) retrieved August 10, 2022 by
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