The Earth is passing into the orbit of the comet Temple-Tuttle. As a result, stargazers can expect to see the annual Perseid meteor shower reach its peak, with the best times to look for the Perseids on the mornings. The last morning to see the peak is Aug. 13.
“The shower will peak on the evening of Aug. 11 and the morning of Aug. 12, but the nights before and after should still show meteors from the shower,” said Dr. Mel Blake, the Director of the Planetarium at the University of North Alabama and an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy.
“The best times to watch are from midnight until dawn. This year, experts are predicting a maximum of 90 meteors per hour, with most observers seeing between 60 and 70 meteors. Predicting meteor numbers is difficult, so the actual numbers could be very different from those expected. The Moon will be in the first quarter phase, so it should not affect observing the meteor shower, making this a good year to watch the Perseids.”
Meteor showers occur when the Earth, traveling on its annual orbit around the Sun, passes into the dust left behind by a comet. Comets are small icy objects that originate beyond the orbit of Neptune.
When they get close to the Sun, the gas and dust they are made of gets heated, and their weak gravity cannot hold onto the material. The result is a trail of dust particles left behind in the orbit of the comet.
The Earth can pass into this dust, and the tiny particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up, causing a flash of a meteor. On any given night, three or four meteors an hour hit the atmosphere.
During a meteor shower, dozens – and, sometimes, hundreds – of meteors per hour can be seen under ideal conditions. The shower is named for the constellation Perseus from which the meteors appear to originate.
The constellation will be in the northeast direction in the morning, but Dr. Blake said not to stare toward it. Instead, look in all directions as the meteors can hit the atmosphere anywhere in the sky.
For comfort, Dr. Blake suggested a chair and a blanket, along with some bug spray.
“For safety, go in a group and share the event with friends,” he said. “If the weather is poor, remember that the shower lasts several days before and after the peak, so you can go out a night or two before or after the peak and still see the shower.”
