With the summer season kicking off, skywatchers will be waiting with anticipation to see the king of all meteor showers — the annual Perseid meteor shower.
This year’s Perseid display is expected to be a very good one for people willing to stay awake and do some stargazing after midnight, according to astronomy experts at EarthSky.org and Sky & Telescope. They say the moon will be in its first-quarter phase, with about 50% illumination, when the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak activity on Aug. 12, 2024.
“The best time to watch for Perseids will be starting around midnight (when the moon will be setting) until dawn,” EarthSky says. “This shower rises to a peak gradually, then falls off rapidly. And Perseid meteors tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into the wee hours before dawn. The shower is often best just before dawn.”
For the best shot at seeing some shooting stars this summer, the EarthSky website recommends that skywatchers find a dark location — as far away as possible from bright city lights and street lights — and look up after midnight on Aug. 11, Aug. 12 and Aug. 13.
Make sure you give your eyes several minutes to adjust to the darkness before scanning the night or early morning sky.
Lots of shooting stars
The Perseid meteor shower could produce as many as 50 to 100 meteors per hour in dark locations, assuming Mother Nature cooperates and brings clear skies.
Worth noting: If you don’t have a chance to scan the sky between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13, you still have a shot at seeing some Perseid meteors on other nights or in the pre-dawn hours. This meteor shower starts producing small numbers of shooting stars in mid-July and will continue to do so through Sept. 1.
The biggest number of meteors, however, are expected around Aug. 12 because that’s when the Earth will be moving through the largest field of debris from the tail of a comet known as Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet zips around the sun and leaves a trail of tiny ice and rock particles, and every August our planet passes through the debris.
Even though the particles are very small, when skywatchers on Earth see some of the fragments, they look like shooting stars streaking across the sky. And some look like big, bright fireballs.
“The meteors are colorful. And they frequently leave persistent trains,” EarthSky.org says. “All of these factors make the Perseid shower perhaps the most beloved meteor shower for the Northern Hemisphere.”
This meteor shower is known as the Perseids because “the radiant — the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate — is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity,” the American Meteor Society notes.
Viewing tips for the Perseid meteor shower
You can see the Perseid meteors from almost anywhere, but experts say you increase your chances of getting a good view if you go to a park or open area in a rural place, away from bright lights.
You don’t need a telescope or binoculars — just your eyes. But you should give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the dark when you’re looking up into the night sky.
And EarthSky’s astronomy experts say if you’re looking for the Perseids, don’t be in a rush. “Give yourself at least an hour of observing time,” they say, “because the meteors in meteor showers come in spurts and are interspersed with lulls.”
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
