Celestial events are often temporary, which is why the most determined stargazers stay up at odd hours and even venture into uncomfortable conditions to catch a glimpse of the ephemeral wonders. But every summer the Perseid meteor shower sweeps the evening sky for more than a month, leaving even the lukewarm astronomy fans no excuse to miss the show that unfolds right over their heads.
The annual meteor shower is back, and as a nearly six-week procession of burning rocks screaming through the cosmos, we’re pretty lucky to have it.
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
The Perseids flash across the evening sky every year, usually between mid to late July and mid August. This year, the shower peaks between August 11th and 13th, when a cascade of meteors shoots through the ether at a rate of nearly 100 an hour.
This particular shower cannot be missed as it is widely hailed as the best sky show of the year. The Perseids are the remnants of Comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle, which takes a sluggish course around the Sun every 133 years. according to NASA. Every summer our planet crosses the trail of meteoroids left in the wake of the comet and creates the Perseid meteor shower. The Swift-Tuttle is a monster with a core 25 kilometers in diameter, which NASA puts into perspective: “This is almost twice the size of the object that is believed to have led to the demise of the dinosaurs.”
The shower is named for its closest constellation – Perseus – which is the radian of the Perseids, or the closest star to illuminate a meteor shower. This particular shower is known for casting long streaks that follow the meteoroids as they race through space (a meteoroid is called such when it is in space; only when it hits Earth’s atmosphere does it become a meteor classified). On average, about 60 space rocks fly by per hour, but the number can exceed 100 at the height of the shower.
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Another reason the Perseids are notable: fireballs. NASA explains how the shower creates these:
Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can last longer than the average streak of meteorites. This is because fireballs come from larger particles of cometary material.
Despite the spectacle they create, the Perseids are actually “about the size of a grain of sand”, according to Space.com. The tiny spots move at a staggering speed of 133,200 miles per hour and can reach a temperature of around 3,000 ° C.
How to see the Perseids
The viewing instructions are pretty simple as long as you are in the northern hemisphere. NASA is instructing the hopefuls to “go outside in the hours before dawn, although it is sometimes possible to see meteors from this shower as early as 10 pm”. Finding a clear sky with no light pollution is, of course, one of the best practices for optimal visibility.
While that shower technically starts tomorrow (July 14th), it won’t get better until July turns into August. Take some space on your calendar – it will be worth it.
