Perseids will light up the sky this weekend - Earth.com

Perseids will light up the sky this weekend

08-11-2018


Perseids will light up the sky this weekend Today’s Video of the Day from NASA Science News describes the “celestial fireworks” that will be produced this weekend by the Perseid Meteor Shower.

When the event peaks on the night of August 12th into the morning of August 13th, skywatchers will be able to see up to 60 meteors per hour.

The moon will set before the shower peaks after midnight, making conditions very favorable to view the meteors as they radiate from the constellation Perseus. With the radiant of the Perseids in the northeastern sky of North America, the best directions to look are southeast and northwest. Better still is to lie on your back and look straight overhead. Many people misunderstand what the term “meteor shower” means. 

Meteors are best seen on a cloudless night, when the entire sky is visible, and when the Moon is not extremely bright. Chances of a successful viewing are higher from locations far away from the lights of cities. Pollution and monsoon clouds make the Perseids difficult to view from India. The Perseids are already showing up in our night skies—and when they peak in mid-August, it’s likely to be one of our most impressive skywatching opportunities for a while. Perseids will light up the sky this weekend as shown above.

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA Science News

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