The Perseid Meteor Shower is here

Have you ever been outside after dark during the summer months and you happened to see an object briefly streak across the sky? If so, then chances are you saw a meteor from the Perseid meteor shower.

The Perseid meteor shower is the biggest shower of the summer and it is currently building in strength, with its peak expected on the night of August 12/13. When this peak occurs, observers far from city lights will be able to see 50-80 meteors every hour.

Many people refer to meteors as shooting stars. But meteors are not stars. They are, instead, little pieces of material ejected from comets. Meteors belonging to the Perseid shower were ejected from the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 135 years. The particles range in size from a grain of sand to a pea. So, why are they so bright? Because these little particles are slamming into Earth's atmosphere at over 132,000 mph! Each meteor you see is not actually the particle itself, but the reaction of atmospheric gases to the tremendous friction caused by the particle.

The first written records referring to the Perseids appeared in Chinese historical texts and date back to AD 36 when "more than 100 meteors flew thither in the morning." Although activity from the Perseids was mentioned in various Asian and European texts during the following centuries, it was not until 1835 that Adolphe Quetelet (Brussels, Belgium) brought this meteor shower to the attention of astronomers, noting a shower occurring in August that emanated from the constellation Perseus. During the years that followed, the Perseids became one of the most studied meteor showers.

To enjoy the Perseids to the fullest, it is best to be as far from city lights as possible. The best equipment to use is a lawn chair that flattens out to allow a view of as much of the sky as possible. Don't stare at one area of the sky, but let your eyes drift about. Enjoy the stars, as you will note that some are bluish, yellowish, and orangish. While you enjoy the sky, you will catch occasional Perseids. Several minor meteor showers are also active around this same time, but the Perseids will be the most numerous and will be the fastest you will see during the night. To really enjoy the display, try observing after midnight, as that is when meteors are most numerous.