It’s that time of year again: the Perseid Meteor Shower is underway!
Every August the Earth plows through the debris stream of a comet called “109P/Swift-Tuttle.” As the debris stream impacts the atmosphere, the tiny pieces of comet burn up producing the yearly Perseid Meteor Shower. Swift-Tuttle is a fairly large comet with a large debris field, which has helped the Perseids to persist for at least the past 150 years, though possibly much longer as there are Chinese records as far back as 36AD.
This is one of the best meteor showers of the year due to its timing during the warm summer nights of August and the number of meteors.
In addition to fairly high meteor rates, the Perseids are known for producing by far the most “fireball” meteors. These meteors are visible even from beneath the glow of city lights but still only make up a fraction of the total number. NASA even monitors these fireballs from a site here in North Georgia at the University of North Georgia’s Astronomical Observatory!
The weather will be somewhat questionable with clouds lingering behind afternoon storms, but I would expect at least some clear skies during this year’s peak. The moon will put a damper on things after midnight but I still anticipate a great show.
WHEN? This year’s shower is predicted to peak overnight Tuesday, August 11. Weather permitting, optimum viewing will be from 11 p.m. Tuesday through 1 a.m. Wednesday, August 12.
The meteor showers will also be visible both Monday and Wednesday after 10 p.m.
If weather conditions are not favorable in your area, you may watch the meteor shower on your computer. NASA will livestream the shower on Facebook from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, beginning at 9 p.m. EST on August 11 until sunrise the next day.
WHERE? While you will be able to see Perseids from just about anywhere, the best places will be open fields away from city lights where you can get a wide view with minimal light pollution. If you have the ability, a drive to the NW shores of Lake Burton should offer excellent viewing conditions away from any street/boat lights. If you have time, a drive towards the higher elevations around Brasstown Bald would offer excellent dark skies as well. The best part about this shower, though, is that no travel is necessary to view it. Just go outside and lay back, looking up to the northeast part of the sky. Let your eyes adjust to the darkness, and enjoy!
The meteors will be visible anywhere in the sky, but if you trace each meteor’s track backward they will all appear to be coming from the constellation “Persus”, located in the NE sky and rising around midnight. This constellation is located just below the more well-known constellation Cassiopeia which appears as a “W” in the NE sky.
HOW MANY: At peak, the rates could reach 50-100 meteors per hour, easily rivaling the December Geminids (I saw over 300 in 6 hours a few years ago during this shower). In the darkest skies over 100 meteors/hour are generally observed.
So… grab a blanket and head out to enjoy what will likely be the best meteor display of the year! ~TW
