The Perseid meteors were shed from the Comet Swift-Tuttle, at some point in the past, and appear to come from a point (called the radiant) in the constellation of Perseus. When they hit the atmosphere, they will be traveling at a fairly high rate of speed and often have long trails behind them.
Start watching for the Perseids in the first week of August. They will be building gradually to their peak. By the second week of August, the moon will begin interfering with the skies between midnight and dawn. On the mornings of August 12 and 13, you can still watch for some Perseid meteors to streak across the summer night from midnight until dawn.
Unfortunately, the full moon will spoil 2011′s Perseid display, obscuring all but the brighter meteors, during the shower’s actual peak. But you will see Perseids in the weeks leading up to the peak, too, if you have dark skies. These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. You don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower because the meteors appear in all parts of the sky.
The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour – in years when the moon is out of the sky. However, 2011 is not a great year for the Perseids, because the moon is full on the expected peak date. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. These meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains.
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/index.html
The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour – in years when the moon is out of the sky. However, 2011 is not a great year for the Perseids, because the moon is full on the expected peak date. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. These meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains.
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| The Radiant of the Perseids Meteor Shower is from the Constellation Perseus in the Eastern Sky |
Aditional Resources on the web
Star Date: http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors
American Meteor Society: http://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/
International Year of Astronomy: http://iya2009.com/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-on-tuesday.html
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/index.html
What's the best place to view these? I live in western Long Island should a beach be satisfactory?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Paul,
ReplyDeleteThe best place to view these is in a dark sky with a clear view of the Constellation Perseus in the eastern sky. A beach is good if there is not a lot of light pollution but you don't need to go to a beach to get good views of the meteor showers. I go to Custer Observatory in Southold for dark skies but there are other places you could go such as a large open field in the pine barrens or on the side of an open farm field. The key is to find a place with open space with as little light pollution as possible. There is one problem this year in that we will have a full moon which doesn't help with observing the faintest meteors. Also you will have more luck with seeing meteors after 12am. Just get a comfortable chair and watch the sky! Happy Stargazing!