BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Perseids are coming - may be spectacular!

When August comes around, the best sky show of the year is also on its way. The Perseids are an annual meteor shower. What's it all about and how can you see it?

Meteor Shower - The Perseids

The Perseid shower comes from the debris of comet Swift-Tuttle. The debris forms a trail of particles, and it's affected by the planets, so in any give year it might be closer to us (outburst!) or farther away from Earth (disappointment ). But a predicted outburst can be a disappointment too. It might not happen. Or you might miss it, as the timing is crucial - might happen during daylight where you are, or you might not be watching at the time.

However there are plenty of meteorites in this shower, and already if you're lying back tonight and enjoying a clear night sky, you might well see one tonight. We're already into the edge of the debris stream. The numbers will keep increasing until the August 11-12 peak, and it won't end there.

Keep looking up. I'll keep passing on more information to you and providing some links for further reading.

The darker the sky, the more meteors you're likely to see. So if you're camping this month, away from the city lights, you should be able to see lots of "shooting stars". There are already some Perseids appearing plus the sporadics, meteors not related to a shower.

Here's a picture from last year's Perseids composed by Matt Dieterich in Mt Rainier National Park.

ALERT! The picture is composed of a number of images, you wouldn't see that many meteors all at once! Most likely, you'd see one at a time. (It seems to me there's always something going on where you're not looking.) But sometimes two. If you happen to catch the peak, there would be more. And, of course, often you may wait for a long time between sightings.

My tip for the day:
Make sure you're comfortable. A lawn chair that tilts back for you to lie down is perfect. A camping mattress is also good. Lie back and save your neck.

Here is an early Perseid from this year caught on the morning of July 25, 2016 by Ken Christison.

The very best time to look for meteors is between midnight and dawn. This is because your part of the Earth is then in position to catch more of them. But the numbers are still increasing now, and you have a good chance of catching a shooting star before midnight too - good for those of us who need our sleep!

The Moon is currently waxing, so each night it seems to grow. The brighter the Moon the more it will wash out the fainter meteors. But don't let that put you off - there are always more.

My tip for the day:
If you go outside to look for meteors, choose the darkest place available to you and then let your eyes adapt. It will take about 15 minutes to get good dark adapatation - and you'll be surprised at how much more you can see in the sky then. So this means put away your phone or any light source - unless it's red light.

In this picture, you can see one meteor streaking through the sky. Just above it and slightly to the left you can see the Pleiades star cluster known as the Seven Sisters. (Taken in Woodingdean, Sussex, England on the early morning of the 13th August, 2013. Credit: Darren Baskill)

Advice from the Royal Astronomical Society.
Professor Mark Bailey, Director Emeritus of Armagh Observatory, said
And there's also Dr. Robert Massey in a 2-minute video to tell you about the Perseids.

My tip for the day:
Even though it's August, be sure you're able to wrap up warmly. If you're sitting - or reclining - for a time, you can easily get chilled. A warm drink might be a good idea too.

I have to share this amazing image from Swedish photographer Göran Strand. It was taken during last year's Perseids and he seems to have scored a hat trick here! Not only has he caught a meteor streaking across the sky, but low on the horizon you can see a band of noctilucent clouds. These night-shining clouds, formed of ice crystals at the edge of the atmosphere, are occasionally visible during parts of spring/summer at high latitudes.

And the third element is the green of an auroral band. It's the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights.

Awesome photo.

This is indeed an awesome picture.

I am somewhere that has been clouded over for a few days and obviously intends to stay that way. Sigh. However, I've had reports from people with clear skies of a lovely display of Perseid meteors. If it's not cloudy where you are, and you don't have lots of light pollution, go out and have a look. The best will be after midnight, but if you need your sleep, you should see something earlier than that!

Remember. You'll see more once your eyes adjust to the dark, so keep away from lights. Also keep warm. Recline or lie down if you can. You don't need binoculars or anything except your eyes. Look up! I hope you let me know what you see.

I love the Perseids; I just wish I wasn't going back to work this coming week! Staying up late is so difficult for me during the school year. In addition, I live in Los Angeles County and can't get out to the desert right now, so I deal with a great amount of light pollution. I'm using the SLOOH web cam instead of doing my own sitings.

I woke up around 3:30 and decided to go out on my back deck and see what I could see. I was amazed at the number of stars. In the front yard I could see the moon and what I think were planets but didn't see stars. Last night was beautiful. I didn't see the meteors but I loved the clear sky.

Angie, it's always beautiful to see a clear night sky, meteors or not. I love it on a summer evening when it's not too cold, but yeah, also on a crisp winter evening even if I have to wrap my quilt around me.

Here's a Perseid fireball above the lights of Pendleton, Oregon. [Credit: Wade Earle] A fireball is a large bright meteor, say about as bright as Venus in the evening (or morning) sky.

WOW is all I can say.

Perseids in Yosemite Valley on the night of August 11/12. Mike Shaw used 25 separate images, each with a single meteor to make this picture. Car lights illuminate the road in the valley. You may also be able to pick out the Pleiades star cluster.

Note: When you click on the link and get the picture, be sure to click to expand the picture for a fabulous view of the sky.

Wow!