The annual Perseid meteor shower is now in full swing, and will peak this Wednesday morning, August 12th. The Perseid meteors usually put on one of the better shows of the year, the result of debris from the Comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are named after the constellation Perseus, which is where the shower appears to originate from. The shower is visible for several weeks (from late July into late August) in the summer sky, but the peak usually occurs on August 12th, when up to 60 meteors per hour may be seen this year. Under good viewing conditions, the meteors are very bright, but are actually very small particles of debris racing through space. The high rate of speed helps their visibility.
Tips on viewing this week's Perseids:
-- The best time to watch will be later Tuesday evening into the early morning hours of Wednesday
-- Get away from city lights and any source of light pollution (the less visible light, the better)
-- Look to the northeast toward the constellation Perseus (the meteor's tails will point this direction)
-- Allow your eyes to adjust to the dark sky...this could take a while, but it's worth it
-- Try to avoid light from the moon (the moon will be rising just before 10 P.M. Tuesday in the north sky)
While the Perseids appear to originate from the constellation Perseus, they can appear in any part of the sky. Usually the best time to view them is between midnight and dawn. However, the moon may get in the way this year. It will be low in the sky before midnight, so a good time to look may be between 10 P.M. and midnight. After that, the glow from the moon may temper the show a bit, although if you're in a real dark area, you'll probably get to see your share! Another concern is the weather and cloud cover, so check in with my latest forecast at richmondforecast.com!
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