Washington – The Meteor rain More dazzling of the summer, the Perseidas, will reach its maximum point soon.
This year, a brilliant moon will cushion the vision at the time of its maximum point at dawn on Wednesday, so some experts recommend waiting for a week to glimpse fleeting stars against a darker sky.
The Perseids “are an incredible meteor rain,” said Thaddeus Lacoursiere, coordinator of the planetarium program at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Under dark skies without moon, perseiders can produce between 60 and 100 meteors per hour, he said. Since the moon will be around 84% full during the beak, the observers of the sky could wait between 10 and 20 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.
“This year, in reality, I recommend that people come out a little later”, approximately one week after peak, when the moon is not so brilliant, said Lacoursiere.
The visualization of the Perseids lasts until August 23.
What is a meteor rain?
As the earth orbits around the sun, several times a year passes through the rubble left by the comets that pass and sometimes the asteroids.
The source of the Perseids are the debris of comet 109p/Swift-Tuttle.
When these rapid movement rocks enter the earth’s atmosphere, the debris find a new air resistance and heat up a lot, and finally burn.
Sometimes, the surrounding air shines briefly, leaving a fire tail: the end of a “fleeting star.”
It does not need special equipment to see the various meteor rains that flash annually, only a place away from the city’s lights.
How to see a meteor rain?
The best time to observe a meteor rain is in the early hours before dawn, when the moon is low in the sky.
The light sources that compete, such as a brilliant moon or an artificial glow, are the main obstacles to a clear vision of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon won the smallest are optimal observation opportunities.
And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to detect fleeting stars if you are not checking your phone.
When is the next meteor rain?
The next important meteor rain, the Orionaids, reaches its maximum point at the end of October.
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