Make sure to look up at the night sky this week because Mother Nature is going to be putting on a show.
The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is set to peak around Aug. 12 and 13, according to the American Meteor Society, and it’s likely to be spectacular. During the event, which usually happens around July and August, it is typically possible to see dozens of meteors every hour.
The meteor shower is the result of the Earth crossing paths with the dust cloud from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which gives us the annual Perseids. The comet, whose name comes from the fact that the most radiant part of the sky during the meteor shower is near the Perseus constellation, orbits the sun every 133 years.
Perseids are also known for their fireballs, according to NASA, which are “larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,” which emerge from “larger particles of cometary material.”
However, visibility this year may be impacted by another wonder of the night sky: the moon.
That’s because the moon is expected to be 84% full and “will severely compromise this shower at the time of maximum activity. Such conditions will reduce activity by at least 75 percent as only the brighter meteors will be visible,” the American Meteor Society said.
Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere before dawn, NASA noted, though it is possible to spot the meteor showers as early as 10 p.m. No binoculars or telescopes are necessary to see the Perseids, according to Space.com, but the meteor shower is best viewed from dark sky destinations with minimal light pollution and wide open skies.
Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere may also have the opportunity to spot meteor showers this month. The alpha Capricornids and the Southern delta Aquariids will both be active through August 12, but their peak has unfortunately passed. The alpha Capricornids are known for their bright fireballs and can be seen on both sides of the equator, while the Southern delta Aquariids are best viewed from the southern tropics.
It has been a good year for space enthusiasts with the northern lights putting on an amazing show thanks to the period known as solar maximum. And in addition to the meteor showers, there are several breathtaking astronomical events happening in August from a full sturgeon moon to the chance to spot Mercury, and more.
