The Perseids Meteor Shower is Back, but Not Exactly

Typically bringing one of the most stunning yearly meteor showers visible in Earth’s night sky, typically providing 50-100 “shooting stars” per hour at its peak, the Perseids are going to peak on Aug. 12 and 13. There is only one issue: the full Moon.

NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA‘s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, stated: “Sadly, this year’s Perseids peak will see the worst possible circumstances for spotters. He included that typically in North America, we would observe around 50 or 60 meteors per hour, but due to the full Moon during the regular peak this year, that number will decrease to only 10-20 meteors per hour at best. This is because the brightness of the Moon outshines everything else in the night sky, making it difficult to see anything except for the very brightest Perseids that pass high overhead and quickly burn up in the atmosphere.

As the Moon lessens, the Perseids meteor showers will weaken on Aug. 21-22 and stop entirely by Sept. 1. They are the particle remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle, a lumbering “snowball” made up of rock, dust, and ice, which orbits our Sun every 133 years. The comet itself was last apparent to us in 1992 and will not pass our way again until 2125.

Just how far back sightings of the Perseids go continues to be a matter of some opinion, Cooke stated. The comet was not recognized until 1862, yet the meteor shower was observed over medieval Europe. The annual occurrence came to be known as “the Tears of St. Lawrence,” named after the seventh of the seven deacons of the Roman Church who were martyred by Emperor Valerian in August of 258 AD.

You may still have a chance

Therefore, it is probably not the optimal year to take a specific trip to witness the Perseids. Nonetheless, if you happen to be outside from midnight until dawn on August 13th, it is recommended to look up as you may still have the chance to witness one of the bright Perseid meteors that are visible despite the Moon’s brightness. Additionally, on occasion, an early Perseid meteor may streak across the sky up to a week before the peak.

If you are interested in Knowing what else is in the sky this August, have a look at the latest “What’s Up” video from Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Originally published by: NASA