The Perseid meteor shower, which astronomers show as one of the most important events of the year, will reach its peak on the night of August 11-12. Two nights, meteorites called ‘fireballs’ will also be visible.
According to the 2022 Celestial Events Yearbook prepared by the TÜBİTAK National Observatory (TUG), meteor showers, some of which date back thousands of years, are made up of residues left by comets after their transits, and occur 8 times a year in the world.
These are called Quadrantid (Quarter), Lyrid (Instrument), Eta Aquarid (Eta Aquarius), Delta Aquarid (Delta Aquarius), Perseid (Hero-Perce), Orionid (Hunter), Leonid (Lion) and Geminid (Gemini).
The most notable one is on August 11-12.
The most striking of the rains, which are formed by the burning of the meteorites as a result of friction, by entering the earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds, will be experienced on the night of August 11-12.
The Perseid (Perse) meteor shower, which will start on July 14 and continue until September 1, will be more easily observed in high altitude areas where light pollution is less due to the summer season.
Meteorites dated
Preparing TUG’s 2022 Celestial Events Yearbook, Prof. Dr. Faruk Soydugan and Chief Specialist Dr. Tuncay Özışık, for the first time, chronicled meteorites for this year’s issue.
According to the news of DHA, the Perseid meteor shower was described as follows in the annual:
“Small bits of rock and dust separated from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle are known to be the source of the Perseid shower. Comet Swift-Tuttle, with a core of 26 kilometers in diameter, completes its orbit around the sun in 133 years.
50-100 ‘shooting stars’
The Perseid meteor shower, which will take place between July 14 and September 1, will be the most intense on the night of August 11-12. Perseid is one of the heaviest meteor showers, and on heavy rain days, 50-100 ‘shooting stars’ can be observed per hour, but a full moon phase on peak activity days will reduce the number observed.
Earth entry speeds 66 kilometers
During this period, meteorites will appear to emerge from the region of the Constellation Perseus. It is known that the speed of meteors entering the world is around 66 kilometers per second.
It is also possible to see meteorites called ‘fireballs’ during the Perseid shower. Fireballs are meteors that can be observed in the form of larger bursts of light and for a longer period of time, and their luminosity reaches magnitude -3.”
Enthusiasts go higher
In order to watch the Perseid meteor shower, which has only a few days left, sky enthusiasts prepared programs for both photographing and watching this feast with the naked eye in areas far from city lights.
Sky enthusiasts in Antalya will meet at Saklıkent Ski Center at an altitude of 2,400 on the night of August 13 to watch Perseid, where the heaviest meteor shower will be experienced in the second week of August.
In addition, there will be a special observation event in the Ancient City of Perge where meteorites can be viewed along with historical artifacts.
“It is forbidden to light a fire, it may be cold, bring clothes”
Gökçe Coşkun from Antalya Bird Watching Society, who organized the observing festival in Saklıkent, stated that anyone who wants to participate can come by their own means at 21.00. “There is no need for any equipment for observation. We will set up a telescope. It is forbidden to light a fire, it may be cold, do not forget to take clothes with you. said.
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