Perseid Meteor Showers Glitter
The Perseid meteor shower is about to peak. The show begins after sunset on Tuesday, August 11th, and continues until the sun rises on Wednesday, August 12th. A time of particular interest is 0800-0900 GMT (1-2 a.m. PDT) on the 12th. That's when Earth is expected to pass through a denser-than-usual filament of dust from Perseid parent Comet Swift-Tuttle. Forecasters are unsure what will happen, but some have speculated that meteor rates could surge as high as 200 per hour. Bright moonlight will blot out many of those Perseids, but even a fraction of 200 is a good show.
Perseid Meteor Showers Images
Pepe Manteca sends this picture of a Perseid that has just streaked over Barcelona, Spain:
A time of particular interest is 0800 UT (1 am PDT) on August 12th. That's when Earth is expected to pass through a denser-than-usual filament of dust from the shower's parent Comet Swift-Tuttle. For an hour or so, rates could surge to 200 per hour. Bright moonlight will blot out many of those Perseids, but even a fraction of 200 is a good show. Observing tips may be found in the Science@NASA story "The Perseids are Coming."
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