Zenith the last city guide12/3/2023 ![]() Though Perseus isn't the easiest to find, it conveniently follows the brighter and more distinctive constellation Cassiopeia across the night sky. According to NASA, the Perseids' radiant is in the Perseus constellation. To find the Perseid meteor shower, it's a good idea to look for the point in the sky where they appear to originate from, this is known as the radiant. You can see the Perseid meteor shower best in the Northern Hemisphere and down to the mid-southern latitudes, and all you need to catch the show is darkness, somewhere comfortable to sit and a bit of patience. From Earth's perspective, the Perseids appear to come approximately from the direction of the Northern Hemisphere constellation Perseus. Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate. Visible between: :Latitudes 90 and -35 degrees When you sit back to watch a meteor shower, you're actually seeing the pieces of comet debris heat up as they enter the atmosphere and burn up in a bright burst of light, streaking a vivid path across the sky as they travel at 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second, according to NASA. It last passed near Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126. The next pass, in 2126, could make it a naked-eye comet similar in brightness to the 1997 Hale-Bopp comet - providing that predictions are correct.Ĭomet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. ![]() When it last made a pass by Earth in 1992, it was too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently by two astronomers, Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, in 1862. ![]() The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle. With the Perseid meteor shower's peak occurring when Earth passes through the densest, dustiest area. What causes the Perseid meteor shower?Įvery year, Earth passes through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Most of the fragments are visible when they are about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from the ground. The Perseids are hot stuff, reaching temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 Celsius) as each fragment travels through the atmosphere and both compresses and heats the air in front of it. Almost none of the fragments hit the ground, but if one does, it's called a meteorite. Most of the Perseids are tiny, about the size of a sand grain. However, this year the moon will provide minimal disturbance to the meteor shower as it will only be 10% illuminated during the time of the peak.Ī typical Perseid meteoroid (which is what they're called while in space) moves at 133,200 mph (214,365 kph) when it hits Earth's atmosphere (and then they are called meteors). In 2022, the Perseids were affected by the full moon illuminating the sky and washing out fainter meteors. On average, you can expect to see up to 100 meteors per hour during the Perseid's peak, according to NASA. Check out our best cameras for astrophotography for more and prepare for the Perseids with our guide on how to photograph a meteor shower. If you're looking for a good camera for meteor showers and astrophotography, our top pick is the Nikon D850.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |