The Perseids meteor shower is going light up the sky and if you play it smart, you can see up to 50 shooting stars an hour in the coming weeks. The Perseids meteor shower is considered by astronomy enthusiasts as one of the biggest celestial events happening this year. The meteor shower will be witnessed in the month of August and mid-August will give people in Northern Hemisphere a chance to take in all the beauty the space has in store.
Details
Earlier last month, National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) observed the fragments of a meteor that passed through our skies. The fragments were observed thanks to the meteor-tracking cameras that are placed at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona. In the observation, the scientists saw glowing fragments of the meteor. With this, the reports of people witnessing a Perseids meteor shower is confirmed.
But before we get into just how you can watch perseid meteor shower, let’s take a look at what it is all about.
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What is up with it being called Perseid?
The naming of the meteor shower comes from the fact that during it speak, the fragments of meteors appear to be falling from a region in the sky which is signified by the Perseus constellation. The appearances are illusionary as the celestial event happens on Earth’s atmosphere.
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What is the Perseid meteor shower?
Perseid meteor shower is one of the most anticipated celestial events that occurs yearly between July and August. During the span of the shower, the sky is lit up with multiple fragments of meteors that are spotted every few hours.
Perseids are often known by amateur astronomy enthusiasts as fireballs that glow in the night and leave behind a trail of dust as our planet cross their debris field while its on its orbit, doing its thing. Without getting into the challenging and complicated concepts of the phenomenon, let’s try to understand how this all happens.
Every year, sometime between July 17 to August 25, Earth crosses the path of a comet called Swift-Tuttle. This comet is the parent of the meteor shower. When we cross the thick of the litter of the comet during the first week of August (its peak), the bits and pieces and the rubble of the comet slams the planet’s atmosphere at a whopping 1,30,000 miles per hour.
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While this speed may sound dangerous, worry not, as the speed gets exponentially slowed down when an object actually crosses the atmosphere of earth. This slamming of the comet’s bits and pieces lights up the skies and this is called the Perseid meteor shower.
At the peak of this event, the small fragments of meteors that disintegrate and integrate can be as high as 60 per hour. Reportedly, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a small meteor can be seen every couple of minutes in the night.
How to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower?
If you’re a citizen of India, you should rejoice as the perseid meteor shower is mostly visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly, the shower is suggested to be caught at its best just before a few hours to dawn. However, if you have the luxury of time by your side, experts claim that those who wait patiently for the shower as early as 10 pm can also enjoy the fireworks.
It should be noted that owing to the extreme amount of artificial light pollution, the shower may not be as visible or appear as strong as it can at outskirts. So, according to one’s convenience they may chose to travel to an outskirt region where there’s no light pollution.
The best part of perseid meteor shower is that to enjoy the, one may not need any strong binoculars or telescopes. Just find a desolate peaceful spot, let your eyes adjust to the environmental darkness, and have fun.
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There are overcast skies here, is there any other way I can enjoy Perseids?
Of course! Thanks to technology, you can enjoy the fireworks at the comfort of your own bedroom. Several space agencies and similar space related YouTube channels will live stream the event.
