Post by Centaur on Aug 4, 2013 9:51:39 GMT -6
The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is already underway and will peak during the August 11-13 period. It is usually the year’s most prolific display with an average of about one meteor per minute for keen eyed observers near the peak. The Perseids are remnants of the Comet Swift-Tuttle and have been observed for about two thousand years.
The radiant is in the constellation Perseus. Meteors are equally likely to be seen anywhere in the sky, but their tails point back toward the radiant. The global peak this year is expected around 19 hr UT (14 hr CDT) on August 12. During the shower Perseus rises around 21 hr local daylight time at mid-northern latitudes. The shower should be prominent from that time until morning twilight.
During the peak period the Moon will be a waxing crescent setting before midnight. It should not provide much distraction.
I’ve created a schedule for major meteor showers during this decade. It includes Moon illumination information. It can be seen at CurtRenz.com/asteroids.html
Descriptions and perhaps lucky photos of the meteors would be welcome additions to this thread.
The radiant is in the constellation Perseus. Meteors are equally likely to be seen anywhere in the sky, but their tails point back toward the radiant. The global peak this year is expected around 19 hr UT (14 hr CDT) on August 12. During the shower Perseus rises around 21 hr local daylight time at mid-northern latitudes. The shower should be prominent from that time until morning twilight.
During the peak period the Moon will be a waxing crescent setting before midnight. It should not provide much distraction.
I’ve created a schedule for major meteor showers during this decade. It includes Moon illumination information. It can be seen at CurtRenz.com/asteroids.html
Descriptions and perhaps lucky photos of the meteors would be welcome additions to this thread.
