The Perseid meteor shower will peak August 11-13, and here’s how you can see it
One of the best and most anticipated meteor showers of the year will soon light up the sky.
Every year, the earth moves through the debris trail of a passing comet, and the result is the Perseid meteor shower, which takes place from mid-July to the end of August.
The meteor shower will peak between August 11 and 13 this year, which means it will be the best time to see a meteor, or what you might call a shooting star.
“But unfortunately, this year the Perseids will not be as spectacular as last year in 2021, and the reason for that is that there is a full moon coming up,” explained Malhar R. Kendurkar, president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Prince George Centre.
Kendurkar said there are 100 to 150 meteors per hour during the Perseids, but because of the full moon, some of that light will block the fainter meteors from view.
“But I’m hopeful because we have very clear nights ahead of us. It has been clear every night so far, but it will be clear tomorrow night and Friday night. These two nights are going to be great.
He added that the Perseids are actually known for their fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and color.
“Fireballs actually stay longer than the average meteor shower. So an average meteor streak will last like milliseconds or something, but with the Perseids you can actually see a second or two sometimes. I saw it for six seconds a few years ago.
Meteors are visible because Earth passes through the debris, ice and rock left by the passage of Comet Swift-Tuttle, first discovered in 1862 by amateur astronomers Louis Swift and Horace Tuttle.
Kendurkar said that the last time this comet passed close to the earth where it could be seen with the naked eye was in 1992 and the next pass of this comet will be in 2126.
How to see the Perseids
The best place to view the Perseid meteor shower is outside the city, where it is slightly darker.
“The best place to see the meteor shower is of course to go outside the city where there is little or no light pollution and you don’t really need binoculars or a telescope to see this meteor shower,” Kendurkar explained.
“The trick is to take in as much sky as possible and just give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the dark, because we’re used to seeing light and light pollution, but the eyes actually need time to adjust to the dark sky.” “
He said that traveling anywhere between 25 to 35 or 50 kilometers from the city should be a sufficient distance.
“The peak will actually start in the early morning hours because that’s when the Perseid constellation actually rises in the northern hemisphere.”
The Prince George Observatory will not be open in time for the Perseids, as it is closed for August and will reopen to the public on September 2nd.
But the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Prince George Center has many great resources on its website to help space enthusiasts.
There are tips for reducing light pollution, spotting meteors, an aurora forecast, a clear sky map, as well as a sky map and space weather forecast.
Photo via Canadian Space Agency
Where does the name Perseids come from?
According to NASA, the Perseids got their name because they appear to come from the constellation Perseus, first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
“However, the constellation for which the meteor shower is named serves only to help viewers determine which shower they are viewing on a given night,” the space agency says on its website. “The constellation is not the source of the meteors.”
Perseus is a hero from Greek mythology, son of the god Zeus and considered the founder of the ancient city of Mycenae. He beheaded the serpent-haired monster Medusa, using a reflective shield to “turn her powers against her,” and saved Princess Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus, King of Ethiopia, and his wife Cassiopeia, from being sacrificed to the sea monster Cletus.
From the Canadian Space Agency:
“According to legend, Perseus’ most famous feat was defeating Medusa, the sister of the Gorgon with snakes instead of hair. Medusa turns anyone who looks at her to stone, and Perseus defeats her by using a reflective shield to turn his power against her. This is why Perseus is often depicted holding her head. The star Algol or the demonic star in the constellation Perseus actually represents Medusa’s head.
“According to the myth, Perseus also married the princess Andromeda. They forever rest side by side in the sky, like two constellations. You can find them in the sky near the constellation Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda in myth, a fairly easy constellation to find because of its W shape.”
— with files from Matt Preprost, Elana Shepert
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