The annual cosmic event is a favorite for stargazers because it’s known for dotting the sky with about 100 meteors per hour. The debris disintegrates in our atmosphere, creating attractive shooting stars.
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The Perseids received their name because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus. The Perseid Meteor Shower is particularly spectacular this year as the Earth passes closer to the center of an old comet’s tail.
“Forecasters are predicting a Perseid outburst this year with double normal rates on the night of August 11-12”, said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office. As tiny bits of debris enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they flame out in bright streaks.
When watching the shower, it is best to lie on your back and look directly up into the sky. “Under flawless conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour”.
The reason? According to NASA, Earth will be running into more material left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the source of the meteors. Most meteorites are from asteroids because comet material is not dense enough to survive the intense heat generated when hitting Earth’s atmosphere at 130,000 miles per hour.
The Perseid meteor shower reached its peak last night with around 200 meteors streaking across the night sky per hour. But don’t worry too much about finding that particular star pattern; the shooting stars will appear across the night sky. Just get away from as much city light as you can (not too hard for us in Arizona!). The space agency recommends going outside for 45 minutes first, to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark.
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The best time to watch the shower will be before dawn tomorrow. Here’s 10 interesting facts about the Perseid Meteor Shower.
