Skywatchers are due for a treat this week. The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak, giving those blessed with clear dark skies a potentially dazzling celestial light show.
Adding to the beauty of the show is the fact that there will be a new moon, which will allow for maximum darkness just when the Perseid meteor shower will be is at its best. The meteor shower is expected to peak during the overnight hours of Wednesday (Aug. 12) and Thursday (Aug. 13). For those wanting to dig out their telescopes, don't bother, as no fancy equipment is required; naked eyes, and a lounging place in the open will be enough to see the "shooting stars," reports Space.com.
The Perseids have been enthralling humans for over 2,000 years and have evolved from pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet was first discovered in 1862 and orbits the sun once every 133 years. Swift-Tuttle was last visible in the night sky in 1992 and won't return until 2126. Every August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet's orbital debris which consists of bits of ice and dust shed from the comet which burn up in Earth's atmosphere to create the meteor shower.
The best opportunity to see the Perseid meteor shower is during the dark, pre-dawn hours of Aug. 13. The Perseids streak across the sky from many directions; with theoretical rates as high as 100 per hour. The last time the Perseids peak coincided with a new moon was in 2007, making this one of the best potential viewings in years, according to NASA.
While the Perseid meteor shower debris intersects the orbit of Earth almost directly, it also passes other planets. In the case of Jupiter, there is no direct encounter.
But during rare instances when Jupiter is passing closest to Swift-Tuttle's river of dust, Jupiter's powerful gravitational field can disturb the comet particles, moving them closer to the Earth, resulting in an enhanced Perseid display, with more meteors.
Most years, skywatchers observe as many as 90 meteors per hour when the Earth encounters the Perseids. But when Jupiter has had an influence on the Perseid orbit, the meteor numbers tend to go higher than normal levels.
Jupiter passed the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle in November 2014, making the Perseid meteor shower of 2016 an event of a lifetime. But the "Jupiter effect" is so pronounced that years immediately flanking its peak can also see higher than normal meteor rates, reports Fox News.
The Perseids shall be visible from all over the Northern Hemisphere. Chances of seeing the meteor shower will increase in a dark area (as far from bright city lights as possible). Skywatchers are also advised to face northeast. The meteors will seem to radiate out from the constellation Perseus, hence their name: Perseids.
For more on the magnificent Perseids, CLICK HERE.
