THE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER

Meteor Showers are like fireworks in the night sky. Small bits of rock left over from a comet's trail traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour streak through the night sky. Everyone in their childhood has heard the term, ''shooting stars''. But why are they called "shooting stars"? That's because meteors appear to be like stars that fall from the heavenly skies. But later in our lives, we all come to know that they aren't stars but debris of comets that get burned up in the Earth's atmosphere. 

Let's take a short look at the already started Perseids Meteor shower.

What is a meteor shower? The meteor shower is a celestial phenomenon that occurs quite frequently in a year. These are small pieces of dirt and dust, left behind in the trail of some passing comet. Whenever earth passes through that tail we have in our skies what is known as a meteor shower. 

 

                                             Meteors are even called shooting stars. That doesn't mean anything because meteors are just bits of ice and cometary dirt. Whereas a star is what we see daily during the daytime known as the sun. Thus, I suppose a shooting star might not be a spectacular thing to behold. Ouch!
                                             

                                        

The original uploader was Orthogaffe at French Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

                                           

                                           Meteor showers are falling meteorites that travel through the atmosphere with speed ranging from 39,600 km/h ( 25,000 mph) to 259,000 km/h (160,000 mph). Each one glow with a distinct color, bearing the signature of various elements viz., yellowish for sodium, blueish for magnesium, and others.

                                          Meteor showers seem to originate from a particular direction of the night sky, known as the radiant point. A good meteor shower can produce somewhere between 50-100 meteors per hour, whereas a satisfactory shower can only produce a mere 10-15 per hour.

Perseids Meteor shower: The Perseids Meteor shower happens to be radiant from the constellation of Perseus. Perseus was a Greek Mythological being, the son of Zeus (Greek God) and the mortal Danae. He was also the legendary founder of Mycenae. The word Perseids is derived from the Greek word ''perseides" meaning descendants of Perseus. The Perseid meteor shower is also known as the tears of  Saint Lawrence, to the Catholics.

                                            

                                             mLu.fotos from Germany / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

                                         However, the constellation of Perseus has no relation with the meteor shower. The meteor shower is attributed to the debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, formerly 109/P Swift-Tuttle, on its 133-year orbital period around the sun. Whenever Earth passes through that debris tail, the bits and pieces of rock get burned up in the atmosphere in a brilliant flash of light. 

When and How to see?  The Perseids meteor shower occurs over a month from mid-July to late August. Every meteor shower has a peak-a period when maximum meteor sightings occur. The peak of the perseids generally ranges from 11/12 August to 12/13 August according to your respective time zones. Just check with some local astronomical groups for more guidance. 

                                          The best time for viewing is from midnight till dawn. Just go to a place particularly away from the city lights and if the weather is good with clear skies then Voila! Meteor showers are prominent throughout the night sky. No need to use a binocular or telescope. Only remember to give your eyes a time of 30 minutes for dark adaptation. Pan the whole sky attentively and you would start to see a few meteor initially. That number would gradually increase to maybe 60-70 meteors per hour.

                                        Overall, just don't forget to look up. The sky has so many things to offer.

 

That's all about the Perseids Meteor Shower. Plan for the night and go out far from the city lights if possible. Even if you fail to do that then at least look up at the skies from your rooftop. This is a prolific shower. And I think Mother Nature won't disappoint you.