The most famous Perseid meteor shower will set the sky on fire: when and how to watch a bright meteor shower

The Perseids are one of the most famous and colorful meteor showers of the year. This meteor shower can be observed from mid-July to the end of August, but its peak activity this year is on August 11-12.

Some Perseids appear in the evening, but the shower of meteors can be seen from 23:00 until dawn. This year, the Moon will be 50% visible during the peak of the meteor shower and it will set around midnight, which will provide ideal conditions for observing the bright space rain, Space.com reports.

How a meteor shower occurs

According to scientists, meteor showers occur when the Earth's orbit crosses the path of a comet. The rocky debris left behind by the comet burns up as it enters the planet's atmosphere. As for the Perseids, they occur as the Earth passes through fragments of ice and rocks left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

According to NASA, the Perseids are an abundant star shower, with about 100 flashes per hour. However, it happened, for example, in 2016 that scientists recorded 150-200 meteors per hour.

As it enters the planet's atmosphere, the Perseid meteoroid is traveling at about 214,365 kilometers per hour. At this point, it is called a meteor. Most meteors are small, about the size of a grain of sand, and often none of them reach the surface of a planet. But if it does, it is called a meteorite.

The temperature of meteors reaches 1650 degrees Celsius, and when they enter the atmosphere, they heat and compress the air around them. Most of the fragments become visible to observers on the ground when they are at an altitude of about 97 kilometers.

How to observe the Perseids

The Perseids are meteor showers named after the constellation Perseus, which is located in the Northern Hemisphere. To see the Perseids, you need to focus on this constellation. In the sky, it is located next to the brighter and more famous constellation Cassiopeia.

In astronomical journals, the Perseids are described as "many bright and fragmented meteors" that leave behind steady trains.

At this time of year, the Delta Aquarid and Kappa Swan meteor showers are also active.

Astrologers emphasize that in order to enjoy the "meteor shower" as much as possible, you need to go out into the open, away from the light of lanterns. After all, meteor showers are best seen in the dark sky. Before observing, turn off all gadgets and give your eyes enough time to adapt to the darkness.

No experience is required to view the Perseids. All you need is a warm blanket and a thermos of delicious cocoa. After all, this amazing space show will last until the morning.

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