Starting on Monday, Aug. 12, Perseid meteors will streak across the summer sky for a couple of nights, offering casual stargazers and serious nighttime photographers a chance to capture a glimpse of the annual meteor shower.
The Perseids appear when the Earth passes through debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. The comet’s dust smashes into our planet’s atmosphere at 132,000 mph, says NASA, flecking the sky with as many as 100 meteors an hour. The prime viewing time will occur between 10:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. local time.
The Perseids — named for the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors seem to emerge — also offer space geeks another bonus: a “fireball” meteor that NASA says can be as bright as Venus. Data collected and studied this year by the space agency says the Perseids produce more “fireball” meteors than any other shower.
The Perseids appear when the Earth passes through debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. The comet’s dust smashes into our planet’s atmosphere at 132,000 mph, says NASA, flecking the sky with as many as 100 meteors an hour. The prime viewing time will occur between 10:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. local time.
The Perseids — named for the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors seem to emerge — also offer space geeks another bonus: a “fireball” meteor that NASA says can be as bright as Venus. Data collected and studied this year by the space agency says the Perseids produce more “fireball” meteors than any other shower.
