The last day of the three-day weekend, August 12 (Monday), is the peak of the Perseids meteor shower.

・ Parent object: Comet Swift-Tuttle
・ Peak this year: August 12 (Monday) around 23:00
・Best time to see in Japan: Late night Monday, August 12th to early morning Tuesday, August 13th

The Perseids meteor shower is counted as one of the three major meteor shows, along with the Cybungiids meteor shower in January and the Geminid meteor shower in December, and it ranks first and second in the number of meteors seen each year group.

Peak activity is expected to occur around 11:00pm on the 12th (Monday), but in Japan, the number of meteors seen will increase from late at night when the radiant point rises

high in the sky until early. morning of the 13th (Tuesday). According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, if the surrounding sky is dark enough and you have a good view, there is a chance to see about 40 meteors per hour.

In addition, this year, the moon will set late at night, so the effect of the moonlight will disappear, making conditions favorable for visual observation.

Meteors appear not only around the constellation Perseus, but they can appear anywhere in the night sky, so try to look as widely as possible in the sky.

* Radiant point: a point on the celestial sphere from which shooting stars (meteoroids) appear to fly out.

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According to Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory, last year there was unexpected activity about a day and a half after the peak, and more than twice as many meteors were seen as at the peak in previous years. that.

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1.The expected number of meteors increases as time goes on.

The Perseid meteor shower rises highest at dawn. In general, more meteors stream when the radiant level is high, so more meteors are seen in the early morning to early morning hours rather than during peak activity. Similarly, on the days before and after, the number of streams increases from early morning to early morning.
2. There are many shooting stars, and some leave their marks.

The Perseid meteor shower has many bright shooting stars, and sometimes very bright shooting stars called fireballs and shooting stars that leave trails called meteor trails can appear.
3. Precious meteor shower during the cold season

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Fortunately, major weather disturbances such as low pressure systems or fronts are not expected, but the atmospheric pressure distribution is expected to be susceptible to the influence of moist air, making it difficult to say that the weather is favorable.

On the Pacific side of eastern and northern Japan, clouds are expected to disperse easily as moist air flows in around the edge of the Pacific anticyclone stretching east of Japan. In addition, a low pressure system along with a front is moving to the northeast of China, so the weather is likely to turn downhill in Kyushu and other areas. Although there are scattered clouds in other areas, there seems to be a chance to see.
In addition, it is possible that a tropical cyclone will develop in the south of Japan, making the weather forecasts less accurate. The weather distribution in different parts of Japan is likely to change depending on the strength of these tropical cyclones and the Pacific anticyclones. The forecast becomes more accurate as the day approaches, so be sure to check the latest weather forecast from time to time.