The annual Perseid meteor shower reaches it’s peak tonight across the ArkLaTex. The forecast mainly calls for clear skies, but a few clouds may pass through from time to time, particularly in northern New Hampshire.
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Universe Today reports in Business Insider that the Perseid Meteor Shower, where the astronomers estimate that viewers can see around 100 meteors per hour, is at 4am ET on August 13 without the need of a telescope.
A spokesman for the Slooh community observatory said: “Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are simply dust-sized pieces of icy debris expelled from a comet, in this case, Comet Swift-Tuttle”.
If you can’t get yourself somewhere with a dark night sky, NASA is streaming the meteor shower starting Wednesday, August 12 at 10 p.m. ET.
The show will highlight NASA’s research related to meteors and comets, but will also talk about the science behind this meteor shower, which is expected to be a spectacular show. As Matt Sampson explains, this year’s Perseid meteor shower is expected to be stellar. While you may have to be a night owl, the reward will be exceptional as the Perseids often feature up to 50 meteors per hour during peak viewing in a dark sky. Unlike last year, when there was a bright moon, Earth’s natural satellite won’t be visible and will enter the new moon phase Friday.
Find an open location away from bright city lights and other light pollution.
Use a reclining chair or sun lounger, or just lie on the ground with a blanket – it will give you a bigger view of the sky.
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The Perseids are so named because the meteors appear to come from the constellation Perseus, but it’s comet Swift-Tuttle that’s responsible for the meteoroids. National Weather Service forecasters are predicting mostly clear skies skies tonight into Thursday morning with a low temperature in the high 60s. Lucky us, they shared their work on social media.
