The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight on August 11 and August 12, and higher rates of Perseid meteors can be expected on the nights surrounding the peak. The best time to look for Perseids is early.
If you missed the Perseids last night or weren’t able to see them in person, check out this free livestream from Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist of the Virtual Telescope Project. The livestream uses the project’s all-sky camera, which gives you a front-seat view of the dark skies over Massiano, Italy, weather permitting of course.
The live broadcast will begin 9pm EDT on August 12 (0100 GMT on August 13). You can watch all the action on Space.com through the Virtual Telescope program or directly from their WebTV page Or YouTube channel.
“This year, the skies will provide perfect conditions (no moon interference), so don’t miss the show!” According to the Virtual Telescope Project.
The Perseids are an annual meteor shower that can be seen from mid-July to late August. They are one of the most prosperous meteor shower During the year, hot summer nights offer skywatchers plenty of opportunities to see a shooting star.
Meteor showers are caused by leftover debris Comet Swift-TuttleA huge object that goes through again and again Earth. It last orbited our planet in 1992 and won’t return until 2126. When the Earth passes through it Comet Debris, rock and ice particles enter Earth’s atmosphere At 130,000 mph (209,000 kph), 85 times the maximum speed of a jet fighter. This speed compresses the air in front of the debris and heats it up to thousands of degrees. This results in dazzling trails of bright light known as meteors or “shooting stars”.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors originate. From Earth’s point of view, the Perseids appear from the approximate direction of the northern hemisphere. Constellation Perseus.
Although the moon will be about 50% illuminated this weekend, it will set by midnight, giving way to dark skies until dawn, perfect for Perseid hunting.
Editor’s note: If you’ve captured an amazing photo or video of the Perseid meteor shower and want to share it with Space.com for a possible story, send photos, videos, and comments about the sighting and your location, as well as permissions, to spacephotos@space. .com.
