On August 11 and 12 this year, we will be able to observe between 50 and 100 bright shooting stars per hour in the sky during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. These meteors are small celestial particles that burn up entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseids are formed from a stream of cosmic dust and ice left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Every year the Earth passes through this cosmic cloud, with the shooting star observed between July 17 and August 24. This year, the peak of the phenomenon is on the night of August 12. Cosmic particles the size of grains of sand enter the atmosphere at speeds between 11 and 72 kilometers per second. As they enter, their energy is converted into heat, light and ionization, causing the appearance of short-lived streaks of light known as “shooting stars”.
In the night sky during the peak of the flux, 1-2 meteors can be seen every minute. The best time for observation will be during the second half of the night and in the morning, when they will be visible in the eastern direction and high above the horizon.
The most active phase of the Perseids will begin tonight, August 10, and will end a day after the night of maximum, on August 12, BTA reports. The meteors appear to be flying out of the region of the constellation Perseus, which gives this meteor shower its name.
Astronomers expect the conditions for observing the Perseids in 2024 to be excellent. In addition to shooting stars, a bright astronomical phenomenon will also be seen in the night sky – the proximity of the planets Mars and Jupiter, which will create a beautiful astronomical spectacle, passing close to each other.
#sky #true
