Perseid Meteor Shower
About the Perseid Meteor Shower
When is the Perseid Meteor Shower? The date varies. The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is visible, weather permitting, from mid-July through late August. The peak is usually between August 9 - 14.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs annually in mid-August. It is a free stellar show that avid space enthusiasts can’t miss.
There it is in black and white, in all of its fiery glory. Whatever you do, do not blink! If you do, you will miss the meteor, as it flames across the night sky. It’s absolutely amazing what a little piece of dust can do when it enters the earth’s atmosphere traveling at 160,000 miles per hour. Meteors are seen as the Earth passes through the orbit trail of a comet. As the comet streaks through the heavens, it sheds dust and small debris. When this debris enters the earth’s orbit, friction from the upper atmosphere burns up the meteorite, resulting in a streak of light quickly blazing across the night sky. The brightness and longevity of the light is a function of the size of the meteor, how near it is to you (don’t worry, it’s thousands of miles away), and how dark the evening is?
The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the brightest, most numerous, and long-lasting of all the meteor showers. Best of all, it occurs each year in August, at a time when the viewing weather is warm, and most days and nights are cloudless. Many people are on vacation in August, allowing them to stay up all night to enjoy the show. The number of meteors you see is dependent upon how dark of a location you watch from, and the number of expected meteors. This number can vary significantly from just a few to a hundred per hour. On a good, moonless night, 60 – 100 meteors per hour are likely.
How to See the Perseid Meteor Shower
Here are some ideas on how you can see the Perseid Meteor Shower:
- Go outside during the peak evenings and look up at the star in the sky.
- If it is a cloudy evening, make plans to go out again tomorrow night.
- When you see a meteor flash across the sky, make a wish. As the words from a Disney song go “When you wish upon a star your dreams come true”.
- Go to your local planetarium or museum.
Did You Know? Meteorites are also called a “Shooting Star” or “Fallen Star”. Since ancient times, seeing a shooting star was a sign of good luck to come.
Today's Quote
“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” – – Vincent Van Gogh
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