Get as far away from all artificial lights as you can. The upcoming weekend is prime viewing time for this annual sky show.
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The Perseid meteor shower occurs every August when Earth passes through a trail of debris left over from an ancient comet.
According to the American Meteor Society, the meteors or “shooting stars” are in fact glowing columns of air resulting from the burn of these particles.
“Forecasters are predicting a Perseid outburst this year with double normal rates on the night of August 11-12”, Bill Cooke, NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, said in a statement.
One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year is about to peak over the next couple of days.
There will also be a live broadcast of the Perseid meteor shower on NASA’s Ustream page overnight August 11 to 12 and August 12 to 13 beginning at 9 p.m. The stage is set for some entertaining stargazing.
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The trail of particles forms meteors, or shooting stars as they are also known, which heat up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere creating tails of light across the sky. They’re so named because they appear to shoot from the constellation Perseus. “Under ideal conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour”. A Perseid outburst last occurred in 2009. Early risers may see the meteor shower before morning twilight.
NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke said: “This year, instead of seeing about 80 Perseids per hour, the rate could top 150 and even approach 200 meteors per hour”.
NASA says there could be increased activity overnight Friday into Saturday.
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A map showing the direction of the Perseid meteor shower When and how can I see the meteors? The best part? All you need to do is lie on a blanket on your back and look straight up! You’ll want to wait until the moon is below the horizon around 12:45 a.m. Friday and give yourself plenty of time to allow your eyes to dark-adapt (30-45 minutes).
