The meteor shower peaks each year in August, when Earth passes through debris left by the 1992 Swift-Tuttle comet. According to the US space agency, an estimated 100 meteors are visible per hour at its peak.
“The meteor shower is a really fun and interesting event for everyone, that’s accessible to everyone, that everyone can see, and it happens every year at the same time,” Jennifer West, an astrophysicist at the National Research Council of Canada, told CTV News.
This is a time of year when you can see lots of bright streaks in the sky – which people sometimes call “shooting stars” but are not stars at all – and it’s a very interesting event that anyone can see.
The rain is expected to begin on the night of August 11-12. Shooting stars can be seen in the days before and after the peak.
Why are the Perseids so special?
Named after the constellation Perseus, the Perseids meteor shower originates in the Northern Hemisphere.
Meteors are small bits of space debris that enter our atmosphere when Earth passes by them, West said. Surprisingly, these bits of debris are usually between the size of a speck of dust and a pea.
“As the Earth orbits the Sun, it moves in its orbit and passes by this rock. [qui] “It enters our atmosphere, heats up the sky and the atmosphere, and leaves behind a trail of light, and that’s what we see and that’s what we call a meteor. So it’s a piece of dust or ice that heats up the gas in our sky, which causes a trail of light,” she explained.
How to observe them well?
Meteor showers can be seen anywhere the sky is visible. A meteor shower, or any solar storm, is best viewed in total darkness. The Moon will be in its first quarter at the time of the shower, with 50% of its surface illuminated, but the best time to observe it is late at night.
According to Ms. West, the darker it is, the easier it is to see the meteors. Additionally, she stressed the importance of clear skies to observe the phenomenon.
“First of all, you have to go to a place where the skies are clear, so check the weather and see if you can find clear skies somewhere,” she said.
“Second, you have to go somewhere dark, so if you’re in the city, you’re better off trying to get out. The darker it is, the more you can see the faint meteors, but if it’s bright, you’ll only be able to see the very bright ones. Third, the Moon will be high this year, so it’s best to wait until it sets, and it will set around midnight, so if you’re out after midnight, that’ll be your best chance of seeing meteors.”
Furthermore, meteors appear to come from a northern direction, and are best seen in the northern hemisphere. However, you can observe “shooting stars” anywhere within their “radiant,” that is, where they appear to come from, which in this case would be the star constellation Perseus.
Perseus is near a brighter and easier to find star formation: Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere, at latitudes +90 and -20, near the constellations of Andromeda, Camelopardalis, Cepheus, Lacerta, and, of course, Perseus.
More meteor showers expected
There are dozens of meteor showers a year, most peaking in summer.
Late last month, the Delta Aquariids meteor shower began and will continue through the end of August. This shower is most visible around 2 a.m. and can reach 15 to 20 meteors in the sky under ideal conditions.
In the fall, the Draconid meteor shower will begin and peak on October 8, 2024. Remnants will be visible in the days leading up to and following its peak. Up to 10 meteors per hour can be observed, with most occurring in the evening rather than the morning.
The Orionid meteor shower also occurs in October. The Orionid meteors are expected to fall on October 20 and 21, after midnight and in the morning. Although the peak is expected in October, the Orionid meteors are expected to fall until November 22.
The Southern Taurid meteor shower is expected to fall in November, with an estimated peak on November 5. This shower is expected to move slowly and be incredibly bright.
Later in November, the Leonid meteor shower is expected on November 18. It is expected to fall between November 3 and December 2, 2024, but the full moon will likely obscure some of its stars.
Two storms are expected in December: the Geminids and the Ursids. The Geminids will peak on December 13, with up to 120 meteors falling per hour.
The Ursid meteor shower, the last of the year, is expected to peak in the early morning of December 22. It may be obscured by the moon, which will be 54% full that night.
