The Perseid Meteor Shower is a highlight every August for stargazers and astronomy enthusiasts.
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Astronomers have predicted a Perseid “outburst” this year in which as many as 200 meteors per hour – twice as many as in a typical Perseid shower – will streak across the sky Thursday night and early Friday morning, if conditions are right.
“Forecasters are predicting a Perseid outburst this year with double normal rates on the night of August 11-12”, Bill Cooke from NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office said in a statement.
Catching a glimpse of the meteor shower will very much depend on your location. He recommends traveling northwest or southwest of the valley, to places such as Lake Mead National Recreation Area or Mount Charleston, to get the flawless view. Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness and look about two-thirds of the way up into the sky and enjoy! “They will limit your view”.
Because meteors can be quite faint, it is best to look out for them in a dark sky, free of moonlight and artificial lights.
The Perseids are small pieces of the Swift-Tuttle comet that can be seen every year when the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet’s debris.
The constellation Perseus will rise in the northeast skies so focusing your attention there is a good place to start, but meteors can fly across any point in the sky.
If you didn’t get to witness it yourself, there is still some time.
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Viewing the sky from the Northern Hemisphere, the Delta Aquarids will appear to come from the south, while the Perseids will come from the north.
