Didn't catch the Perseid meteor shower yesterday? Don't worry - it's going to come out again tonight, Tuesday August 12, even brighter than it was yesterday.
If you haven't heard of the Perseid meteor shower, Tech Times writer Robin Burks provided a helpful guide to the astronomical phenomenon yesterday. The shower arrived on the scene early morning on Monday, although it may have been a little watch for some because of the extremely bright supermoon that upstaged it.
Most of the world will be able to see the Perseid shower anytime after dark tonight, clear skies permitting. The meteor shower is going to be at its peak late tonight, around 3 a.m., according to NASA officials. They wrote on their website that "Despite a bright moon, there should still be a good show from this prolific shower," NASA says. "Much of the world can see Perseid any time after full dark, with peak viewing projected on the early morning of Aug 13." The peak is expected sometime around 3-4 a.m. at your local time on August 13. It will peak around 3 a.m. in every time zone around the world, a NASA official writes.
NASA astronomer Bill Cooke estimated that viewers of the shower will be able to see about 30-40 falling meteorites per hour, depending on how clear the skies are in their area. You can view a map of world visibility provided by NASA online here.
How should you best view the Perseid meteor showers? NASA officials recommend looking straight up at the sky to get the widest view possible. You should ideally go as far away from ambient light as possible and give your eyes at least half an hour to adjust to the dark.
Dr. Bill Cooke, Rhiannon Blaauw and Danielle Moser from NASA are going to be available online to answer questions in a live chat starting at 11 p.m. EDT tonight on August 12. NASA is also going to be live streaming the shower on this page starting at 9:30 p.m. EDT tonight on August 12.
The Perseid showers are visible every year in August as the Earth passes through debris from the comets. The debris will safely burn up in the Earth's atmosphere as they come into contact with our planet, making one of the biggest and most visible meteor showers of the year. For aspiring astronomers out there, look for the constellation Perseus: the meteorite shower will originate from that direction.
