Perseid meteors are shining down at the border of Perseus and Cassiopeia
Perseid meteor shower (annual celestial event), loved by millions of observers around the world, is going to return to the night sky. Thanks to the New Moon there will be no bright light interfering with the presentation.
This year, the meteor shower will reach a peak on the evening of August 12 and linger until the early morning of the 13th. You can also notice objects a few nights before and after the specified dates. Moonless sky ensures excellent viewing conditions. In the dark sky it will be possible to observe up to one Perseid per minute.
The main inspection hours are at 23:00 or midnight before the first dawn. To enjoy the show, you can use normal vision. Equip yourself a place to lie down and look at the sky comfortably. Do not forget about the blanket and mosquito repellent.
Be patient and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark. “Falling stars” will appear on all sides, so select the darkest part. Weak meteors are shown as tiny fast lanes. Brighter ones can linger in flight for a few seconds and leave a stream of burning smoke. The higher the source, the more meteors you will see. If the stream is located low above the horizon, it is still possible to find several objects.
The pieces of cereal flakes perfectly demonstrate the approximate parameters of the cometary dust grains creating meteor showers
You can also notice offenders. During this period, there are active downpours Delta Aquarid and Kappa Signid. Any light pollution will worsen the conditions of observation and reduce the number of objects seen. But NASA analysis from 2008 to 2013. showed that Perseids guarantee brighter meteors than other annual streams.
Every year in mid-August, the Earth collides with particles from the comet Swift-Tuttle
How and why
Meteors are caused by tiny dustlike fragments the size of a grain of sand or a pea. They penetrate the upper part of the earth's atmosphere at a height of 80 miles. Each particle accelerates to 60 km / s, creating a short line of heated air.
Specific particles have long been ejected by the Swift-Tattle comet and distributed throughout the 133-year orbit of the comet around the Sun. The earth passes through this weak patch of rubble every year in mid-August. The comet got its name in honor of Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle who found it in July 1862.
The bright Perseid meteor swept on August 7, 2010 over buildings at an astronomical astronautics congress in Springfield (Vermont)
