Perseids Meteor Shower Radiant
Right now, the Earth is passing through fragments and dust trails created by the Comet Swift-Tuttle and this means the Perseids Meteor Shower has started and will be getting stronger each day until its peak on August 12th. Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell-Tuttle discovered the Swift-Tuttle Comet in July of 1862. The comet passed by Earth in 1992 and will not return again until 2126, however the dust that follows this comet creates a dependable annual meteor shower, the Perseids.
The Perseids is named after constellation Perseus because meteors seem to spread out from an area surrounding the constellation, this is called the radiant. The Perseids Meteor Shower is one of the world’s most famous astronomical summertime events and is called “Ole Reliable” because the Perseids always seems to be an enjoyable strong August meteor shower. The reason for its popularity is that people living in the northern hemisphere are usually treated to warmer weather which makes viewing much more enjoyable. Trust me, I know from years of experience and have been known to stand out in the freezing cold for hours (warm weather is better).
The Perseids Meteor Shower will peak in the morning of August 12 where meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky. The main thing to viewing any meteor shower is to find a safe, dark place away from man-made lights and lean back in a relaxing position looking toward the darkest part of the sky. Sometimes the Moon can be a hindrance, but this year the Moon will not be shedding much light, as during the peak it will be a waxing crescent Moon phase, so this means more visible meteors.
As a general rule for this meteor shower I say look to the northeast, but no one ever really knows where meteors will appear. I’d like to give you an exact time to view the shower, but meteor shower observation still remains one of the most complicated astronomical events to foresee, so having said that, try observing in the late evening of August 11th into the early morning of August 12th. Meteor showers are misunderstood, a lot of people think they are nighttime events, they’re actually better seen closer to dawn and I’ve heard this year some scientists believe that the Perseids could produce up to 100 or more meteors per hour so there will be no lack of chances to see meteors skipping across the sky.
The Perseids Meteor Shower consists of meteoroids mostly as small as a grain of sand but occasionally softball size meteoroids will create large fireballs. I truly don’t know what to expect and for me that’s part of the excitement. Additionally, Perseids meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at amazingly fast speeds as high as 133,000 mile per hour and even though most are the size of a grain of sand you’ll still see them glowing and whizzing through the air. Perseids are not usually known for massive fireballs, but anything is possible.
Your questions and comments are always welcome. Please bookmark the site, join the mailing list and if you have enjoyed my articles please consider buying me a cup of coffee to keep me alert for meteor shower viewing in the morning!
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Jul 30th, 2010 at 1:16 am
Thanks Meteor Mark, I live in Ohio, the more north of the equator the better? Either way I’ll keep my head in a dark field somewhere.
on Jul 30th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Wes,
Yes you’ll see more meteors if you live north of the equator. The constellation Perseus will be higher in the sky. Just remember to be out after midnight in the morning of August 12th.
Keep your head up.
- Meteor Mark
on Jul 30th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Meteor Mark,
I have a group of 30 that will be viewing the Perseids in central Idaho, but there is controversy regarding the peak time to watch.
Astronomy Magazine says peak will be night of the 12th and into the morning of the 13th-your prediction of best viewing time of night of the 11th into the morning of the 12th conflicts with that.
Will our location dictate the window to watch? Why do you feel the morning of the 12th might be better than the next evening and day?
I like your peak time better as it works for my schedule, but I just need some ammo to convince the rest of the crew.
Thanks for the excellent blog.
Trev in Idaho
on Jul 30th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Trev,
Thanks for the comment. As a general rule meteor showers are seen better after midnight when the Earth is turning into the path of the meteors. You can check the Meteor Shower Viewing Page on this site for more details. It’s July 30th today and I’ll be discussing the Perseids in greater detail leading up to the event. I’m still skeptical as to when the best time will be to view the event and I will be posting my “final answer” to the million dollar question on August 1st or August 2nd. Can you check back with me then? Based on my info at that time, you will be able to feel confident that you’ll be outside at the best time. How does that sound?
Keep your head up.
- Meteor Mark
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 9:42 am
Meteor Mark,
Thanks for the fair response-it sounds perfect and I will wait patiently for your next Perseid summary.
Getting excited for this shower and a moon free morning.
Trev
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Trev,
I’m excited too. I will definitely have something on the site later today.
Keep your head up.
- Meteor Mark
on Aug 3rd, 2010 at 9:31 pm
JF,
If you’ve seen a meteor or fireball before, you might be able to tell the difference between the Aurora Borealis and a meteor. However the concept of a different color meteor because of the Aurora Borealis sounds interesting to me. Hmmm…thanks for the thought, you got me thinking.
- Meteor Mark
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
August 3, 2010 c. 12:45 a.m. in the southeast sky over Sun City, AZ I saw my first green meteor which gave a fireball flash and had a slight tail: gorgeous! I wonder if maybe it wasn’t a meteor, but had something to do with the aurora they say to start expecting tonight. It looked and behaved like a meteor though….
on Aug 12th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
we live in colchester essex,uk and are currently watching mother natures display …… absolutely wonderful, shooting balls of light across the sky finishing with a bright flash