A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed, or seem to originate from one point in the sky, the Radiant. Such meteors are caused by cosmic debris entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning high in the sky.
The Perseid meteor shower is the most popular meteor shower as they peak on August with good weather conditions, making them easier to observe. The Perseids are visible from 17 July to August 24, but they reach a maximum activity on August 11, 12 or 13.
From a place without light pollution, we usually can observe 40 – 70 meteors per hour at maximum. The Perseids are caused from debris released from comet 109P/Swift Tuttle during its passing from the inner solar system. We call these meteors Perseids since they seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus.
The Perseids peak this year will be on the August 11 – 12 night, and the Moon will be only 13% full making this night perfect for the Perseids meteor shower.
You can look for the Perseids wherever you are, but there are certain things that will increase the chances to observe more meteors:
- Check the weather forecast. Clouds are the showers worst enemy.
- Try to reduce the light pollution in your location, by going to the countryside, or just switching off as many lights you can.
- A location with clear view of the horizon helps a lot.
- Take friends with you and share with them the joy of observing the Perseids.
