Whenever we are out stargazing, or just glancing at the night sky, we expect to see the obvious – stars, nebulae, galaxies. But there is one thing that we are all secretly hoping to see, something we hope to make a wish to, that is, shooting stars, or as they are called in astronomy – Meteors. And let’s be honest, what we are really hoping to see is a full meteor shower.
The thing that comes to mind is, if even singular meteors are so rare and unpredictable, then how do we know when to look up to see a magnificent shower of meteors? Well, how about tonight?? You must think me crazy. But believe me when I tell you that you will be able to see a meteor shower daily from now till the end of August! This phenomenal event is nothing but the PERSEID METEOR SHOWER.
WHAT IS THE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER
Considered by NASA as the best meteor shower of the year, the Perseid is a very active meteor shower every year from mid-July to late August. Best visible from the Northern Hemisphere, the shower’s peak activity ranges at about 100 meteors per hour! Perseids are known for their ‘fireballs’. These are so-called because they leave larger explosions of light and color as they streak through the night sky. Fireballs are visible much brighter than regular meteors, with apparent magnitudes greater than -3.
In 2022, the full moon prevented the meteor shower from being significantly visible, but this year the moon will provide no major disturbance to the shower as its illumination during the peak will only be 10%.
WHEN TO SEE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER 2023?
The Perseids can be seen every day, starting July 14th, from as early as 10 pm till the break of dawn. The meteor shower will peak from Aug 11th to 13th, with possibly 150-200 meteors visible per hour. The meteor shower will last till the 1st of September.
ORIGIN
All meteors are basically the leftover debris from comets and broken asteroids. When comets go around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind. When the Earth passes through any of the debris, the bits collide with our atmosphere and create those beautiful streaks we see as meteors. Most of the comet bits are very tiny and burn up in the atmosphere, but if any of the fragments hit the ground, it is called a meteorite.
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the largest object known to pass the Earth, the Comet Swift- Tuttle. Discovered in 1862, this 26 km wide comet last passed the Earth in 1992, when it was too faint to be seen by the naked eye. The next time it passes by, the year will be 2126 and the comet might be visible to the naked eye.
THE NAME:
The names of meteor showers originate from the constellation in the night sky from which they appear to emerge. The Perseids appear to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus in the Northern Hemisphere.
To spot the meteors, it is best to look for their origin in the night sky, called the Radiant. The Perseids’ radiant, the Perseus constellation, isn’t the brightest. So, it is convenient to look for the much brighter Cassiopeia, which Perseus follows across the sky. It is important to note that the constellation is only the source of the name and not the actual meteor shower.
So, in conclusion, if you are planning on Stargazing in the next few weeks, go to the darkest possible location, sit back, and relax. Just know where to look in the night sky, and enjoy the best meteor shower of the year.
Or, you can join Stargazing Mumbai and enjoy the Perseids from the best location to Stargaze in India- the Spiti Valley. For more details on the Astro-tour to Spiti Valley, visit Spiti Valley tour page.
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