A lingering shooting star this week will give us enough to make a wish.
© NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP / Getty Images
TOPSHOTS A long-exposure image showing an airplane passing through the Meteids shower over the remains of the early Christian basilica of St. Ilia, dating back to the 5th century AD. at the town of Pirdop, beginning on August 12, 2015. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year in August as the Earth passes through the pun and dust of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseid meteor shower – an annual display of natural fireworks – should be particularly spectacular this year, with extra dark skies expected to create optimal stargazing conditions, astronomers said on August 7, 2015. AFP PHOTO / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOVNIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP / GP / GP Images ORG XMIT:
The Perseid meteor shower, as the earth flies through a batch of puns from comet Swift-Tuttle, is set to last Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.
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The best viewing time is in the early hours, when it is dark. A quarter of a month will mean a little extra light, but experts say it shouldn’t completely hide them, and that many will still be on display – including the casual fireball. Last year, the shower struggled against the light of a full moon, so this year can only get better.
Earth now makes its annual pass through the closest part of the stream to the remnants of the comet, particles it leaves during its 133-year journey around the sun. They lie in the orbit of the comet, and Earth crosses that path at the same time each year.
To see them, go to a dark area away from the city lights, such as a beach, ball field or park. Since meteor viewing is an exercise in patience, then be prepared to sit outside for a few hours, Space.com suggests. It can take up to half an hour for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Focus on heading north, Space.com advises. The best view is in the dark hours before breakfast. The radiant point – the place where they come out – is highest at noon, says Earthsky.org, which is when the meteors will rain from the sky. However, they can be seen all over the place. It is not necessary to look at them from the radiant point.
Moonlight will compete the show, but not obscure. It is possible to visit meteors before dawn around midnight, although they will be low in the air. However, that gives skylights a shot at capturing an Earthgrazer, “an elongated, long-lasting meteor that travels horizontally across the sky,” describes Earthsky.org, calling it “rare but most memorable.”
Even though they are about as small as a grain of sand, the sharps fight brightly as they burn up in our atmosphere, hitting it at 37 miles per second, Space.com says. The Perseids in particular are known to flash different colors. This is because they are rich in sodium, while some contain magnesium, iron, carbon and silicon, according to The Washington Post.
While most meteors are visible during that peak time, they can also be seen, albeit in proportions without a shower, before or after that – Wednesday, and even Thursday.
Swift-Tuttle itself spends most of its time in the outer reaches of the solar system, NASA notes. It visited the inner solar system in 1992 for the last time.
Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, according to NASA, and three years later Giovanni Schiaparelli realized that the comet was the source of the Perseids.
There are also earlier references, as Earthsky noted. The first account comes from a Chinese record dating back to 36 AD, Earthsky said. Chinese Japanese and Korean records from the eighth to 11th centuries are full of references to the shower.
The Perseids also appear in ancient Greek lore, commemorating ‘the time when the god Zeus visited the mortal maiden Danae in the form of a shower of gold,’ said Earthsky. “Zeus and Danae became the parents of Perseus the Hero, whose constellation radiates the Perseid meteors.”
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