Every August, the Earth moves through the debris field of the Swift-Tuttle comet (which orbits the sun once every 133 years).
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Officials suggest getting away from city lights when trying to view the shower and try to avoid cloudy areas. “You will see meteors earlier in the evening but the rate increases as the radiant point (where the meteors appear to come from) rises higher in the sky”, said Shanil Virani with the JMU Planetarium.
This week will be one of the best times to watch the Perseid meteor shower, chair of Foothill College’s astronomy department said. Humans have been observing the Perseid meteor shower for at least 2,000 years, according to NASA. The debris from the comet, including dust and ice, comes flying toward Earth. When the sky has even more tiny white dots in it than usual, you’ve hit a good spot. The forecast mainly calls for clear skies, but a few clouds may pass through from time to time, particularly in northern New Hampshire.
And then all you need to do is look up. That will be enhanced because the earth also will rotate toward the meteor shower after midnight. This is traditionally the best meteor shower of the year with over 100 meteors falling per hour in optimal conditions, which for observers is an extremely dark, unobscured viewing location.
“The cool thing about it is how they’re named; if you draw a line back along the path that the meteor travelled, they’re coming out of a particular part of the sky”. You can experience one meteor per minute at the peak of this episode of the meteor shower. “The Perseids feature fast and bright meteors that frequently leave trains, and in 2015 there will be no moonlight to upstage the shower”.
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The Shenandoah National Park is holding a special presentation on Wednesday August 12 at 9 p.m.at the Byrd Visitor Center.
