Perseid meteor shower peaks early Wednesday. How about taking a look?

By Trevor Mogg August 11, 2020

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the biggest annual events of its kind, and it’s coming soon to a sky near you.

The so-called “shooting stars” that you see fizzing brightly across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower are fragments of the Swift-Tuttle comet burning up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed. Swift-Tuttle’s most recent fly-by was in 1992, with the next one not until 2125. Despite the lengthy orbit, the comet’s huge size — it’s about 16 miles (26 km) across — means that it has a dense debris trail, paving the way for a spectacular meteor shower.

The fragments begin streaking across the sky in late July, with the event peaking in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 12.

Although you would normally expect to see around 60 meteors per hour during the peak phase, NASA says that this year the brightness of the moon will impede the view somewhat, reducing the visible meteors to around 20 per hour.

The space agency adds that despite the reduced visibility, “the Perseids are rich in bright meteors and fireballs, so it will still be worth going out in the early morning to catch some of nature’s fireworks.”

So, how can you watch it? Well, you’re either going to have to stay up really late tonight or get up really early on Wednesday morning.

The Perseids are best viewed between about 2 a.m. your local time and dawn, with the best views obtained in locations with minimal light pollution.

NASA says if these hours are just too hard to handle, then not to worry. “You can go out after dark, around 9 p.m. local time, and see a few Perseids. Just know that you won’t see nearly as many as you would had you gone out during the early morning hours.”

If clouds threaten to spoil the show, you can always hit NASA TV, which will be livestreaming the Perseid meteor shower from 9 p.m. ET.

And if you’re a keen photographer and want to try your hand at capturing some of the meteors burning up in the night sky, check out this Digital Trends article telling you all you need to know.

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Space

How to watch the spectacular Quadrantids meteor shower this week

A finder chart depicting the location of the radiant of the Quadrantids meteor shower, from Astronomy Now magazine.

This week will see the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower, which could be the most spectacular meteor shower of 2022. There will be up to 50 meters or more visible per hour when the shower is at its peak. So if you fancy a night of stargazing, we've got the details on how to watch.

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News

How to watch the Perseid meteor shower peak

Meteor showers are as entertaining as they are awe-inspiring and we’re in for a real treat later this month with the Perseids set to light up the night sky.
NASA said that when the Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August it’ll offer “one of our most impressive skywatching opportunities for a while.”
The Perseids, which appear as Earth passes through the debris trail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle, come around every year and appear as streaks of light that flash across the night sky. And you don’t need binoculars or a telescope to enjoy the spectacle.
For those not in the know, a meteor, commonly called a “shooting star,” is a piece of space rock that burns up when it hits Earth’s atmosphere at high speed. NASA points out that the bright streak that you see is not actually the rock, but instead the glowing hot air as the fragment hurtles through the atmosphere.
So called because they look as if they’re coming from the direction of the constellation Perseus (near Aries and Taurus in the night sky), the Perseids are one of many meteor shower events throughout the year, such as the Lyrids in April and the Geminids in December.

How to watch
The space agency’s own meteor-tracking cameras spotted their first Perseid in late July, but your best chance of catching them will be during the peak viewing hours of late Wednesday night on August 11 through dawn on Thursday.
There are several key points to keep in mind to give yourself the best chance of witnessing an entertaining meteor shower.
-- First, you should try to get away from any light pollution. NASA says that if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere and well away from disruptive light sources, you could get to see more than 40 Perseids an hour. But if you can’t escape the city lights, you might only see a few every hour. In other words, it’s really worth heading to a darker location if at all possible.
-- Find a spot that offers an expansive view of the night sky, if possible away from things like buildings, trees, and mountains that will reduce your viewing opportunities.
-- If you have a reclining seat that you can take with you, that's great. Failing that, a blanket to lie on will do. That way you won’t have to stand the whole time with your head tilted back, putting unnecessary strain on your neck.
-- Give your eyes around half an hour to adjust to the dark. If you’re coming from a brightly lit place, or you were just staring at your smartphone screen, your eyes need time to get used to the lower light levels. You’ll be surprised at how much more detail you can see in the night sky after just 15 minutes or so of adjustment.
Having said all that, you are of course at the mercy of the weather. If the clouds roll in, you may as well hunker down and watch something on your streaming service of choice. Don’t be too dismayed if the weather’s lousy that weekend. A few days on either side of that date also offer a decent chance to enjoy some Perseid activity in the night sky.
NASA notes that light pollution from a full moon and lower meteor activity during the Perseids’ peak in 2022, and from a waning crescent high in the sky for 2023, mean that this month offers the best opportunity to catch the Perseids for several years to come.

Space

NASA reveals the best night-sky treats viewable in August

NASA is back again with its monthly rundown of skywatching treats.

Taking center stage in August is the Perseid meteor shower, an annual event that’s set to peak in the middle of this month.