It’s that time of year again! Time for the annual Perseid Meteor shower! If we can hang onto clear or even partly cloudy skies, we are in for a special treat this year for the most (or 2nd most, depending on the year) prolific meteor shower for us in the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike last year’s shower that was both cloudy and largely obscured by a full moon, this year we will have zero moonlight to interfere with a new moon occurring on the day of the peak.
The Perseid meteor shower is a consistent meteor producer and the best show of the summer, only outdone for the year by the annual Geminids in December. It is caused by a stream of dust left by comet 109P-Swift/Tuttle. 109P is a particularly large comet with a diameter of 16 miles, so it leaves quite a stream of dust in its wake when it visits the inner solar system every 133 years.
In a normal, moonless year like this one you can expect to see 60-80 meteors per hour in dark skies. In addition, the Perseids are well known for their fireballs. This year the new moon will occur on August 12th at 10:36 a.m., less than 24 hours before the predicted peak of the meteor shower.
When and where to see them
The shower will peak Thursday morning August 13th. Additional good times to look are both Wednesday (12th) and Friday (14th) mornings although the peak is usually very sharp. The best time is in the pre-dawn hours when the constellation Perseus is high in the sky, but meteors are possible all night. In my experience, anytime after 10 p.m. tends to do well but the later into the night you get the more meteors you will see.
You can see the meteors in any direction, with the most visible in the eastern sky where Perseus will be rising.
The meteors will appear to “radiate” from the constellation, meaning if you trace their paths back, they will converge there.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the weather and update you on the latest. For now, cross your fingers for clear skies!
This new moon also coincides with a total solar eclipse over parts of Iceland and Europe, which will be followed up by a nearly total lunar eclipse here in North America later on August 27th.
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