A clash of stellar events will cause the 2022 Perseid meteor shower to fade into the night sky. This is what we know.
Every August, to mark the end of summer, two astronomical phenomena dazzle the celestial vault. The first of these is the Sturgeon Moon, the last supermoon of the year. It appears in the night sky around the second weekend of the month, filling the night with its pale glow. The second of them is the appearance of the Perseids: the most intense meteor shower of the year.
This year, according to calculations by Space, it might be that the brightness of the Sturgeon Moon overshadows the Perseid meteor shower. Especially, to the misfortune of astronomical observers, because the moon will come closest to earth right at the height of the meteor shower. This is what we know.
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At the ‘worst time of the year’
In 2022, the Perseid meteor shower will arrive at the ‘worst time of the year’according to described the NASA astronomer freak who heads the Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center.
“Sadly, this year’s Perseid peak will see the worst possible circumstances for observers,” Cooke said in a statement. «[…] this year, during the normal peak, the full Moon will reduce that to 10-20 [meteoros] per hour at best.
Generally, seen from the north of the American continent, “we would see 50 or 60 meteors per houraccording to NASA. However, this year the most intense point of the astronomical phenomenon will overlap with the intense brightness of the last supermoon of the year.
Why are the Perseids in August?
In mid-August, our planet meets the cloud of dust and debris from Comet Swift-Tuttleone of the densest in Earth’s orbit and responsible for the Perseidsone of the showers of stars most intense of the year, according to we explain in previous years.
To enjoy this astronomical phenomenon no need to use a telescope or other optical instrument: just find a site with the least light pollution and a view of the celestial vault as wide as possible. This is perhaps one of the most colorful astronomical events of August, and It will merge with the Sturgeon Supermoon.
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When is the Perseids 2022?
According to the records of the National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN), this rain of celestial bodies appears every year around August 12. Locally, it is referred to as “Tears of Saint Lawrence”since it happens very close to the Spanish festival of the martyr.
This year, however, the Perseid meteor shower will arrive this 2022 on August 13 and 14. It will be visible only from the Northern Hemisphere of the planet and, sadly, it is possible that it will be seen suffocated by the dominant glare of the last supermoon of the year. We will not know, however, until the second week of the month, when both astronomical phenomena parade through the celestial vault.
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