Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Perseid Meteor Shower to Peak on Night of Aug. 12–13

The new moon will darken skies, making the peak far easier to see.

The Perseids meteor shower sparkles over the hills of Pacifica in 2001. The annual meteor shower is at its peak this week, though weather conditions may impact visibility across the Bay Area.
The Perseid meteor shower streaks across the Bay Area sky in August 2020, as seen from the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. The annual summer spectacle will hit its peak Wednesday night into Thursday. 
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Perseids are forecast to reach their maximum the night of Aug. 12 into the early morning of Aug. 13, with NASA and the American Meteor Society giving estimates that range roughly from 30 to 100 meteors per hour depending on local conditions.
  • Skywatchers should plan to observe between midnight and dawn from a dark, open site and allow 15 to 30 minutes for eyes to adjust in order to maximize chances of seeing meteors.
  • The shower comes from debris left by comet 109P/Swift‑Tuttle, which has a roughly 133‑year orbit, and the stream often produces especially bright fireballs when larger fragments enter the atmosphere.
  • Actual counts will depend strongly on local weather, light pollution and elevation, and observers near the path of a total solar eclipse over Spain, Iceland and Greenland should expect the best Perseid views after eclipse totality.
  • The Perseids are one of the most reliable annual displays with records spanning centuries, so the darker skies this year may draw more casual viewers and photographers to parks and rural sites seeking an easy summer night spectacle.