Some Persiders of 2019, as seen from Macedonia.
Spaceweather.com/Stojan Stojanovski
It is mid-August, which means that Perseid’s annual Meteeidouche is active, and will run until 24 August. The Perseids are one of the best, brightest batches of shooting stars, and although they are already peaks, it may be easier to see them now with the moon entering its dark phase.
This famous shower comes every time around this time when the Earth is driven by a cloud of waste left behind by the giant comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle. Pieces of dust, pebbles and other cosmic detritus pop up in our atmosphere, burning up in short, bright streaks and even the occasional full-blown fireball stretching across the night sky.
Technically, the Perseids 2020 peaked on the evening of Tuesday 11 August and tomorrow of Wednesday 12 August, but that does not mean that the show is over. Far from it, actually. The moon is just a small crescent in the night sky Monday night and will be an invisible new moon starting Tuesday night. That’s one lesser source of light in the air to wash out all those Perseids.
The popularity of the shower is a combination of the fact that it is one of the strongest, with a maximum of 100 visible meteors per hour on average, and it coincides with hot summer nights in the northern hemisphere.
2020 Perseid meteor shower photos shine brightly in a dark year
See all photos
Overall, it’s a good strategy to move forward to the Perseids as late in the evening as possible, but it’s worth it to see what you can do if you can.
This shower at full peak with completely dark skies could be almost the same as full peak with a bright moon, so do not think you will miss it already if you do not reach the peak.
Once you have decided on the perfect time and a place with minimal light interference and a wide view of the sky, just lie back, let your eyes adjust and relax. Pillows, blankets, lounge chairs and soft drinks provide the ideal experience. It can take about 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, so be sure to be patient. If you follow all my advice, you are only guaranteed to see a meteor.
It does not really matter where in the sky you look, as long as you have a wide view. That said, the Perseids will appear to radiate from the constellation of Perseus, the Hero. If you want to practice being an advanced meteor spotter, look for Perseus and try to focus there while you watch. Then just try to look up without focusing anywhere. See if you notice a difference. We are still dealing with the unpredictability of nature, so results will differ.
Probably the best part of the Perseids every year are the beautiful photos we get from talented astrophotographers who spend long nights outside.
As always, if you consider yourself a beauty, please share them with me on Twitter or Instagram @EricCMack.
