“Unfortunately, this year’s Perseid peak will have the worst possible circumstances for observers”, said the NASA astronomer, Bill Cookewho runs the Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, United States.
He added: “Most of us in North America would normally see 50 or 60 meteors an hour, but this year, during the normal peak, the full Moon will reduce that to 10-20 per hourin the best case”.
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Star Walk
The Moon is much brighter than anything else in the night sky. and -thus- it will delete everything. Except for the brightest Perseids, as they pass through our atmosphere and burn up high. On the other hand, as the full Moon fades, the Perseids will begin to decrease on 21 and 22 Augustand will completely cease September 1.
It’s probably not the best year to take a special trip to see the Perseids, but if you find yourself outside between midnight and dawn on August 13, don’t forget to look up anyway. You never know: you just might catch one of the bright meteorites of the Perseids that defy the glare of the Moon.
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Pexels
Meteorites are the leftover debris from the comet Swift-Tuttlea heavy “snowball” -composed of ice, rock and dust- that orbit our sun every 133 years. The comet was last visible in 1992 and won’t come our way once more until 2125.
Notably, the comet was not identified until 1862although the meteor shower was seen over the Europa medieval. The event became known as “The Tears of San Lorenzo”in honor of the last of the seven Roman church deacons martyred by the emperor valerian in August of the year 258.
“How far back the Perseid sightings really go remains a matter of debate. controversyCooke assured.
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Zero Wave
How to watch the meteor shower
If it is not cloudy, you will be able to witness it from an observation point far from any bright light. Telescopes or binoculars are not recommended due to their small fields of view.
The meteors associated with this shower will appear to originate from a specific location in the sky: just below and to the left of the first “W” made by the constellation Cassiopeia.
