August Night Sky

One of the more spectacular night viewing events of each year is the arrival of the Perseid meteor shower.  It began July 14 and will continue to September 1.  Peak viewing opportunity is  Monday evening/Tuesday morning.  With ideal viewing conditions you may be able to spot 2-3 meteors per minute!   

Meteor showers occur when the orbit of the earth passes thru space debris left behind by comets and asteroids. These pebble-sized pieces of debris enter our atmosphere and burn-up creating shooting stars.  This particular meteor show is as a consequence of our planet passing thru the debris left over from the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle.  

Take note that this comet completes an orbit around the sun every 133 years and every time it comes back to our neighborhood in the solar system it gets closer to the earth.  If Swift-Tuttle were to hit the earth we’ll all go the way of the dinosaurs!  (Although scientists believe that possibility is probably about 2,000 years from now.)  

The Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus - which appears in the northern hemisphere between the constellations Auriga and Cassiopeia.  Look for them radiating from that location in the northeastern sky.  

The Perseids are bright so if the moon is out try blocking it to improve your viewing.  This shower rises to a peak gradually, then falls off rapidly. And Perseid meteors tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into the wee hours before dawn. The shower is often best just before dawn.

 

Get out the bug spray and keep your fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions and enjoy the show.