Perseids also called by the catholic devotees as the “tears of Saint Lawrence”, are tiny space dust and debris named after the constellation Perseus.
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The Perseid meteors shoot across the sky at 130,000 miles per hour as Earth crosses the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle.
A bright Perseid Meteor cuts across Orion’s Belt at five a.m. Tuesday morning during the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower Aug. 12,1997.
Each Perseid meteor travels at a shocking 132,000 miles per hour..
Most years, Earth might graze the edge of Swift-Tuttle’s debris stream, where there’s less activity.
The Perseid meteor shower is set to appear August 11 through 12 this month, a peak time for avid stargazers. The phenomenon of meteor showers with more meteors than usual is referred to as outbursts.
Even though clouds and rain kept Coast stargazers from seeing the peak of this year’s Perseid meteor shower, all is not lost.
The best way to watch is to go outside between midnight and dawn on the morning of August 12. Opt for a higher location, lie down and let your eyes adjust to the darkness for about 20 minutes.
According to NASA, the Perseid meteors travel at 132,000 miles per hour, 500 times faster than the fastest vehicle in the world. USA observers will also get a great view of the ramp up to the peak between moonset and sunrise on Friday morning, August 12.
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The Perseids pose no danger to the Earth. “The meteors you’ll see this year are from comet fly-bys that occurred hundreds if not thousands of years ago”. Check out this weeks Sky at a Glance for more on where to look for the moon and planets each night. When these particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and we see the white glowing streaks in the night sky. But an outburst could mean trouble for spacecraft.
