Perseid meteor shower this weekend. What was the Perseid meteor shower like this night? When and what time can you “lay in wait” for the Perseids?

The mesmerizing beauty of the Perseid meteor shower

On the night of August 12-13, you will be able to see something like this in the skies over Eastern Europe. a natural phenomenon, How meteor Rain Perseids, reports Telegraph. In particular, up to 60 meteorites per hour will be visible in the Latvian sky. Given that there will be a full moon, only the brightest “shooting stars” will be visible from the ground.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most famous of all, or rather, meteor showers, is formed by the remnants of the cometary “tail” of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every year it appears in August from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which is why it got its name. The comet itself approaches the Earth only once every 135 years, but the Earth passes through its tail every year. As a comet approaches the Sun, it heats up, scattering small particles of ice and dust into interplanetary space, which move from the center of the solar system under the influence of the solar wind.

A meteoroid is a piece of rock or a collection of dust in outer space. The Earth's surface is constantly bombarded celestial bodies of various sizes. When particles enter the Earth's atmosphere, they heat up and burn or evaporate, leaving behind a bright trail - a meteor. A meteor is a light phenomenon that occurs at an altitude of 80 km to 130 km from the Earth's surface when invading earth's atmosphere particles - meteoroids.

The comet's tail is made up of tiny particles of ice, dust and rock that were thrown into the interplanetary space from the comet's nucleus. When the Earth, on its way around the Sun, encounters these particles, they penetrate the atmosphere at a speed of more than 150 thousand km/h ( average speed Perseid 210 thousand km/h). They draw either straight solid or broken lines, or flare up in the form of a string, and sometimes even in the form of one or more fireballs.

In the northern hemisphere, they can be observed starting on July 23, when one meteor passes by per hour or more. Over the next three weeks, their number gradually increases. At the beginning of August you can see 5 meteors per hour and about 15 per hour by August 10th. Their numbers increase sharply to 50-80 meteors per hour on the night of August 12-13 and then quickly decrease to 10 per hour by August 15th. The last night to observe this meteor shower is usually August 22-24, when approximately 1 meteor can be seen per hour.

There are other less intense meteor showers that appear at the same time as the Perseids, but the Perseids typically move across the sky much faster than meteors from other showers. In fact, the Perseids are the fastest meteor shower we see every year.

It is best to watch the “star shower” in a dimly lit place, with a good view of the sky.

Where are the Perseids more visible?

“We expect that the peak of activity - approximately 100 meteors per hour - will be reached on August 12-13. Unfortunately, most of These meteors will not be visible due to the bright light of the moon, which will enter its full moon phase on August 13,” the International Meteor Organization said in a forecast.

Currently, the activity of the stream is slowly growing - according to data on August 9, it was about 20 meteors per hour. “It increases until about the 16th, and then within two days it drops sharply, almost to zero. After the 18th there will be almost nothing left,” Alexander Bagrov, leading researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN), told RIA Novosti.

“The moon will interfere, but we will still see the brightest meteors. The main thing when you see a shooting star is to make a wish,” the scientist said.

Meteors occur when microscopic particles enter the atmosphere and burn up. Star showers are typically associated with Earth passing through streams of particles left behind by comets.

Let us remind you that in last time The inhabitants of the planet could observe the strongest meteor shower on the night of December 14-15, when our planet passed through the strongest Geminids meteor shower.

The Perseids are the most famous of all meteor showers.

This meteor shower gets the name "Perseids" because it appears to be raining from the constellation Perseus. An observer in the Northern Hemisphere may begin to see Perseid meteors around July 23, when approximately one meteor is visible every hour. Over the next three weeks, their frequency gradually increases. Five Perseids per hour in early August and on August 10, the frequency of the Perseid star shower quickly rises to a maximum of 50-80 meteors per hour by the night of August 12/13, and then quickly decreases to around 10 meteors per hour on August 15. The last night that rain from this meteor shower is still visible is August 22, when an observer can see the Perseids every hour or so.

For observers in the southern hemisphere, the Perseid radiant never rises above the horizon, which significantly reduces the number of Perseid meteors you are likely to see. However, in the southern hemisphere, at night, a maximum of 10-15 meteors per hour can be seen coming from the northern horizon.

There are other, weaker meteor showers in August along with the Perseids, but the Perseids typically move across the sky much faster than meteors from other showers. If you're not sure where the constellation Perseus is in the sky, this picture will help you find them in the Northern Hemisphere:

Perseid Locations For Northern Hemisphere Observers

This is the view in the middle northern latitudes, at approximately 2:00 a.m. local time on approximately August 12-13. The red line at the bottom of the image represents the horizon line. (Image created using SkyChart III and Adobe Photoshop).

Comet Swift-Tuttle, discovered in 1862, is responsible for the Perseid starfall. It generates meteors, which, from the point of view of an earthly observer, fly from a point (radiant) in the constellation Perseus, from which the meteor shower got its name. This is one of the most powerful showers, which in the 1990s generated a real shower of stars, when more than 400 meteors could be counted in an hour.

IN last years The intensity of the Perseids has decreased slightly, but the stream remains one of the leaders in power. IMO experts predict that this year the number of meteors during the maximum period will be about 100 per hour.

The Perseid meteor shower is expected this weekend. It will peak on Saturday and Sunday (August 11 and 12, 2018). This means it’s time to raise your eyes to the sky and watch hundreds of shooting stars in the night sky. And you don't need any special one good review to see this “starfall”.

This always happens in August: you just need to go outside, lie on your back and look up. Bill Cook, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environments office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, said, "You don't need binoculars and you don't need a telescope to see a meteor shower."

• City lights interfere with the meteor shower. The star shower is best seen from a dark area.
• Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark sky. Don't expect to walk outside and immediately see the Perseids.
• The best time to see the Perseids is 2 am (local time), when the constellation Perseus is high in the sky.

This year the spectacle will be especially stunning, in part because the moon will be a thin crescent and will be in its waxing phase, leaving the dark night sky open for stargazing. In past years there haven't been as many shooting stars visible (although 2016 saw roughly 200 visible meteors per hour), this weekend there will be more visible than on a typical night, and that's with only 60 to 70 meteors per hour (literally a handful of meteorites).

For a long time, earthlings have treated the dazzling meteor shower with special trepidation. Shooting stars were called Perseids because their flying flashes come as if from the direction of the constellation Perseus. What causes the Perseids? It's all due to the tail of comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet itself completes its 133-year journey around the sun, but leaves a trail of rocky sand.

Every summer, the Earth makes its way along this thick trail (this year it entered the trail on July 17, and will leave it on August 24), allowing the comet debris to burn up in the atmosphere of our planet. As space rocks burn, they create a bright streak of light known as meteors or shooting stars, fire rain or shooting stars.

This weekend our planet will be passing through the densest and dustiest part of the trail. While the Perseid meteor shower begins its real show, starburst activity will occur on the night of August 12-13.

Meteor showers are more visible from the northern hemisphere and some mid-southern latitudes. Photographers planning to capture the night sky with the Perseids should mount their camera on a tripod and shoot with long exposures lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. But not longer, otherwise the rotation of the stars may block the streaks of the stars' shots.

On the night of Monday, August 13, the inhabitants of the Earth could see a large-scale Perseid meteor shower. From 22:00 the sky was illuminated by up to 80 flashes per hour, which could often be seen with the naked eye.

The most beautiful part of the star shower for astronomers was closer to dawn.

By the way

"Shooting stars" are small particles of interplanetary matter, ranging in size from grains of sand to peas. They enter the earth's atmosphere at a speed of about 60 kilometers per second, and when burned, they leave a beautiful bright trail. The Perseids are among the most beautiful and famous meteor showers. This shower occurs when the Earth enters a cloud of dust from the tail of Comet Swift–Tuttle. The starfall owes its name to the constellation Perseus, from where the “shooting stars” fly out.

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An amazing astronomical phenomenon - a meteor shower with the poetic name Lyrid - is the oldest meteor shower known to astronomers. There is no need to be afraid that one of the pieces will reach the Earth and explode - comets do not have such large fragments. There are records that the Lyrid meteor shower was observed more than 2500 years ago. It is unusual in that over the course of even one night the number of meteors visible from Earth can change dramatically. On average, no more than 20 of them fly over us per hour, but suddenly an “explosion” can occur when up to 100 falling stars are visible in the sky in an hour. However, this is not the limit. In 1803, in the USA, the Lyrids created a real firestorm in the sky - astronomers observed up to 700 meteors per hour. According to eyewitnesses, “the sky seemed to be on fire.” What if such a bright spectacle happens again now?

Telescopes and other astronomical instruments are not required to observe a meteor shower, so anyone can enjoy the night star spectacle of summer. It is better to conduct observation in nature, for example, in a field, in a country house or in a village. However, clouds and rain can interfere even there. It is believed that meteorite showers have a very beneficial effect on human energy. During a starfall, it is also customary to make wishes.

For an observer in central Russia, around midnight, the constellation Perseus is located in the northeastern part of the sky. In the evening it begins its journey from the eastern horizon, rising very high in the morning, so that “shooting stars” become visible throughout the sky.

History of the discovery of the Perseids

The name Perseids comes from the name of the constellation Perseus. The Perseid meteor shower has been known to humanity for about 2 thousand years. The first mention of them is contained in Chinese historical annals dating back to 36 AD. The Perseids were also often mentioned in Japanese and Korean chronicles of the 8th-11th centuries. In Europe, the Perseids were called the "Tears of St. Lawrence" because the St. Lawrence Festival, which takes place in Italy, falls during the most active period of the meteor shower - August 10.

Starfall is an annual event when the Earth passes through the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is part of the constellation Perseus.

What is commonly called a meteor shower is debris from a comet - dust particles ranging in size from a grain of sand to a pea. They burn up when they come into contact with the Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind bright flashes and streaks in the sky.

When and what time can you “lay in wait” for the Perseids?

Starfall can be observed throughout Russia, as well as on the east coast of the United States.

During a meteorite shower, you need to look at the northern part of the sky. Let the North Star be your guide. From it there are two stars in a straight line, to the right towards the constellation Cassiopeia, which is in the shape of the letter “W”. From Cassiopeia down to the first star of Perseus from Cassiopeia - Mirfak.

It is worth noting that in occultism “shooting stars” are associated with making wishes. According to esotericists, observing the flow of meteorites serves as a kind of meditation.

According to astrologers, during the period of starfall, the symbolic properties of Uranus will increase many times over. Revolutionary events and unexpected meetings will occur. Each zodiac sign should prepare for surprises that may happen at this time.