The Perseid meteor shower is peaking soon. This year, a bright moon will hinder viewing during peak viewing early Wednesday, so experts suggest waiting a week for darker skies. Venus and Jupiter will also appear close in the sky. The Perseids are known for their fireballs. Under ideal viewing conditions with no moon, the shower can produce more than 60 meteors per hour. But moonlight will interfere this year. The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Viewing lasts until August 23. The next major meteor shower, the Orionids, peaks in late October.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Summer's most dazzling meteor shower, the Perseids, peaks early Wednesday. At the same time, Venus and Jupiter will converge in the sky — overlapping like a very bright star.
If your focus is the meteor shower, it's worth knowing that this year a bright moon will dampen viewing during the pre-dawn peak, so some experts recommend waiting a week or so to glimpse shooting stars against a darker sky.
The Perseids "are an incredible meteor shower,” said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Under dark skies with no moon, the Perseids can produce between 60 to 100 meteors per hour, he said. Since the moon will be around 84% full during the peak, skywatchers might expect between 10 to 20 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.
“This year I’m actually recommending that people go out a little bit later" — a week or so past the peak when the moon will not be as bright, LaCoursiere said.
Viewing of the Perseids lasts until August 23.
As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids.
The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.
Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”
You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights.
The best time to watch a meteor shower is in the early predawn hours when the moon is low in the sky.
Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest are optimal viewing opportunities.
And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to spot shooting stars if you aren’t checking your phone.
The next major meteor shower, the Orionids, peaks in late October.
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