How to See the Perseid Meteor Shower —and Why It ’ s Special

Space is a punishing place—frigid, airless, sizzling with radiation. But for so unforgiving an environment, it does put on stunning spectacles, with its comets, eclipses and, for people with telescopes, dazzling views of exotic worlds like ringed Saturn and its litter of moons. This time of year, space regularly stages one of its most dazzling productions: the Perseid meteor shower. The brightest meteor shower of the year began on July 14 and will continue until Sept. 1, but peaks this week on Aug. 11, 12, and 13. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The best viewing hours are from midnight to just before dawn—though the first sparkles may appear as early as 10 p.m. regardless of your time zone. In the prime viewing time, skygazers in dark surroundings, away from cities and streetlights, can expect to see up to 100 meteors per hour, according to NASA. Those viewing from the suburbs will see about 10 meteors per hour and city dwellers are likely to see none at all. The Perseid shower occurs when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit around the sun when it passes through the ice, rock, and dust trail of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 by astronomers Horace Tuttle and Lewis Swift, who were not working together. Swift, an amateur California-based astronomer, saw the streaking object passing the Earth on July 15 of that year. On July 18, Tuttle, a Harvard astronomer, also spotted the comet. Since they discovered and report...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news