If you want to learn more about meteors and the Perseid shower, NASA TV and NASA’s UStream channel will host a live show with meteor science experts from Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Advertisement
An unusually large number of bright “shooting stars” is expected during the late-night hours of Wednesday, and continuing into the early morning hours of Thursday.
Stargazers will get a bonanza come Thursday when Perseids meteor shower reaches its peak action.
The reason the shower is called the Perseids is because, when emerging in the sky above the Northern Hemisphere, the meteors seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus.
The shower occurs every year from July 17 to August 24.
As the earth passes through the debris field left behind by the comet, that debris hits the atmosphere at an impressive 143,000 miles per hour and disintegrates in a blaze of light.
The darker it is, the more meteors you’ll be able to see, so rural areas are much better than cities.
There is often a clump of dusty material which causes a peak of activity in the shower and it’s at this peak when you have the best chance of seeing some meteors. The moon is close to a new phase and should not interfere. Last year’s Perseids peaked during the bright Super Moon, making them hard to view.
So just why do the Perseids show up every year? Luckily there is no need for a telescope or even binoculars.
The best times to view it are well after dark, nearly closer to dawn.
Advertisement
Staying up past midnight might also help viewers spot meteors. Try to keep your gaze on the sky for as long as possible, many people have missed that flawless meteor when they looked away.
