2024 Perseid meteor shower: when, where and how to watch shooting stars
In the coming days, the United States will be able to enjoy one of the most beautiful celestial spectacles - the Perseid meteor shower. The peak of the starfall will occur from August 9 to 14, writes New York Post.
Photo: IStock
The Perseid meteor shower is forecast to reach its zenith on the evening of August 11 and continue until dawn on August 12. This is the best time to admire shooting stars.
In North America, you can begin observing the meteor shower as early as 22:00 pm and continue monitoring the night sky until the pre-dawn hours.
On the night of August 11, the waxing Moon will provide approximately 50% of the light until it sets below the horizon around midnight. After the Midnight Moon sets, the sky will darken and provide the perfect backdrop for meteor viewing.
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The best time to view the Perseids is between 2:00 and 4:00. It is expected that up to 100 meteors will streak the sky every hour during this period of time. Bright meteors are the cosmic calling card of the Perseids.
Where watch Perseids meteor shower
The Perseids are best viewed under clear skies, in nature, away from the light pollution emanating from large cities.
Don't rush to take a telescope or binoculars with you. The naked eye can see most of the sky.
Meteors can and will appear from anywhere, but it's best to aim your gaze at the darkest part of the sky you can see. For best results, lie on your back with your feet facing south. After about 30 minutes, your eyes will adjust to the darkness.
Don't look at your phone during a meteor shower. This will impair your night vision.
Look up, wish all the best to the Cosmos and merge your thoughts with it, feeling at the same time like an infinitesimal particle of the universe and the whole Universe dissolved in you.
Due to the trajectory of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid meteor shower is best visible at northern latitudes. Because the Perseus radiant never rises above the horizon at southern latitudes, significantly fewer meteors are visible in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is a meteor
Meteors are born from particles of comets and asteroid debris. As comets and asteroids fly through the solar system, they leave this “space debris” behind them. When the Earth passes through outer space, saturated with debris from comets and asteroids, they collide with our atmosphere and burn up in it, creating colorful fireworks in the sky.
The Perseid meteor shower originates from comet Swift-Tuttle (officially known as 109P/Swift–Tuttle). Every year, our planet crosses the orbital path of a comet and moves through its tail, causing debris to crash spectacularly into Earth's upper atmosphere.
Mythology of the Perseids
The Perseid meteor shower is named after Perseus, the Greek hero who killed the Gorgon medusa.
Star Rain was named after Perseus because the radiant, or point from which the Perseids appear in the sky, is in the direction of the constellation Perseus. It is believed that this magnificent celestial performance symbolizes the conception of the hero: according to legend, Zeus, having impregnated Perseus' mother Danae, turned into a shower of gold.
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The Perseids are known in the Bible and in poetry as the “tears of St. Lawrence,” since the peak of the starfall occurs on August 10, when this saint is honored.
Fun fact: St. Lawrence is considered the patron saint of cooks, possibly due to the fact that he himself was roasted alive on a grill. According to legend, before his death he told his tormentors: “I’m already cooked on this side, turn me over and you can eat.”
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