With all of the excitement over the coast-to-coast TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, which is now mere days away (ohmyfreakinggosh!!!), you may have forgotten all about this year’s Perseid meteor shower. But you shouldn’t! And here’s why:

FAST FACTS

• Peak shower activity is the night of August 12, a Saturday! #partytimeexcellent
• One of the biggest showers of the year with a radiant point is the constellation Perseus
• “Perseids” refers to the many sons of Perseus in Greek mythology
• Up to 60 – 100 meteors per hour at the peak, which is a lot
• Perseids are leftover bits of Comet Swift-Tuttle’s eccentric 133 year orbit of the Sun
• Northern Hemisphere only. It’s OK Southern Hemisphere, your night sky has way cooler stuff
• Perseids are fast movers and known for their bright colors which are due to their chemical composition (Nitrogen/Oxygen, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Magnesium)

COMET TRAILS

That’s just what meteor showers are – the Earth in orbit passing through large debris streams leftover from comets after they’ve been tugged or bumped into the inner solar system from the Oort cloud by the weak, but pervasive power of the Sun’s gravity.  Meteor showers are an occasion to feel yourself moving through space along with our planet and solar system.  Dig it?

WHAT ABOUT MOON POLLUTION?

That’s right I said it.  Moon Pollution.  The Moon, though natural and beautiful like a silver spun gemstone in the sky, can straight up ruin meteor showers, naked eye visibility of the Milky Way, nightscape and astrophotography – if it’s the wrong time of the month.  We’re on nature’s schedule, not our own.  Deal with it with these tips:

  • It’s not a full Moon, so you got that going for you, which is nice
  • Find a dark sky site with mountains to the south tall enough to block it from where you sit as you observe north
  • Observe earlier in the evening before the she rises and hope for the best. This is what most people will do anyway because they’re not hardcore
  • Be hardcore and stay up with the Moon until the real peak of the meteor shower in the predawn hours of Sunday the 13th

LASTLY, keep your dang phone in your pocket, turn down the brightness, or use night mode.  Keep in mind that alcohol and tobacco both affect night vision negatively.  Have fun and clear skies!

We will leave you with these apps to consider:
Meteor Shower Calendar
Phases of the Moon
SkyPortal
GoSkyWatch
MyCSC

By: Jarred Donkersley