It’s that time of year when skygazers get a little more excited. As Earth passes through the dust left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid meteor showers put on their annual show.
Though you can spot one any time between mid-July and the end of August, the peak activity is expected to be the night of Saturday, August 12 through the early morning hours of Sunday, August 13.
2023′s shower is expected to have a little more flare to it, due to the fact that the moon is in its waning crescent phase. That said, it’s nearly impossible to make a prediction as to how many you’ll see an hour.
The estimates you may see of “100-per-hour” are only based on absolutely ideal conditions.
To better your chances of seeing the Perseids, you should get away from city lights. Your best bet is to look between the hours of 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday, but make sure to give your eyes time to adjust.
According to Tony Rice, an Ambassador to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Perseids can sometimes produce “Earth-grazers.”
He uses this term to describe meteors that skim the tip of the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, they’re visible for longer with longer trails left in the sky.
Source: WSLS News 10
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