This year promises to be a good year for this area’s nocturnal residents to observe meteor showers. Two occurred earlier this week and third is set to peak in Mid-August.
The Perseid meteor showers, (also known as the Perseids) are active each year from mid-July to late August and are visible in much of North America. However, this area is among the best places to see the spectacular show. This year the moon will be 50 percent illuminated at the time of the Perseides peak, but it is expected to set around midnight so be the best time view the show is after midnight on a clear night.
The Perseids are caused by Earth passing through bits of ice and rock left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle which last passed close to earth in 1992. NASA advised area residents should expect to see about 100 of the shooting stars per hour. The fragments are generally small and few hit the ground. The Perseids are hot stuff for they reach temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the fragments are visible when they are about 60 miles from the ground.
Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth. Its nucleus is about 15 miles wide. The meteors we expect to see that are created by it are traveling about 37 miles per second.
All you will need to see the shower is darkness, a comfortable place to sit and a bit of patience.
You will not need binoculars or telescopes to see the Perseids but you will need about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The best time to see is after the moon sets which this week is about midnight. To see the shower look to the northeast.
The Perseids’ meteor showers are the showiest but they are the third of three meteor showers to be visible in the Midlands this summer. However, if you were counting on this newspaper to alert you, you probably slept through the first two as they happened earlier this week. Late Monday early Tuesday the Southern Delta Aquariids peaked. This shower produces brighter shooting stars the farther south you are. They appear in the southwestern sky. The show lasts until dawn and NASA advises lying on your back and looking 45 degrees from the constellation Aquarius. The Alpha Capricornids Meteor shower peaked on Wednesday with up to five meteors but hour.
After the Perseids peak in August, the next opportunity to see meteors is in mid-October but that show will be hampered by a mostly full moon.
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