The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak this weekend as Earth takes a yearly dip in the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
The Perseid meteor shower will reach its maximum activity level on Sunday, August 13 at 04:00 EDT (0800 GMT).
According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, the Perseids are a popular sight for meteor hunters who can observe up to 100 fireballs and light trails per hour from the meteor shower, with even more potentially visible at the peak.
The Perseid meteor shower, which takes place between July 17 and Aug. 24, is named after the point where its meteors appear to move towards Earth from the Perseus constellation. This point is known as the radiant point by astronomers.
The Perseus radiant is best observed above the horizon, making it ideal for skywatchers in New York City. As per legend, the radiant point in Persian origin is circumpolar, meaning it remains visible all night long after the sun has set and the sky has darkened.
When will the meteor showers occur in 2023?
Meteor hunters from New York City should expect to see the Perseids’ radiant glow at approximately 700 degrees over the horizon during Sunday. The moon will be close to its new moon phase, which means it is almost completely absent from the night sky due to the lack of moonlight and dark skies.
Up to 141 meteors per hour may be visible to sky watchers observing the Perseids peak on Sunday, as per In the Sky’s estimates, provided that favorable weather conditions and distance from Earth-based light sources are taken into account.
The Perseid meteors may seem like they are coming from the outermost stars of the Perseus constellation, but their true location is within the solar system.
The Perseus Constellation is where most meteors will appear to glow.
The Perseid meteor shower is triggered by Comet Swift-Tuttle, also known as comet 109P/Swift- Tuttle informally, which left behind a cloud of debris in the inner solar system.
Comet Swift-Tuttle, a 16-mile (26-kilometer) wide body of dust, glaciers, rock, and dark organic matter, orbits the sun at 93,600 miles per hour. Although it travels at speeds 60 times faster than Earth’s top speed, it takes 133 Earth years to complete its orbital mission.
The sun’s radiation causes solid ice to transform into gas through sublimation, which is the process that removes asterisks from the comet. As this gas escapes, it scatters fragments of icy debris and rock around the sun, creating a stream of cometal material in the form of gritty debris.
Every summer from July to August, Earth passes through a debris stream that transports ice and dust into the atmosphere at speeds of up to 130,000 miles per hour.
The air in front of the debris is compressed and heated to thousands of degrees, resulting in the formation of bright fireballs at an altitude of approximately 44 miles (70 km) to 62 miles(100 km), as well as smaller fragments of debris passing through the atmosphere while being vaporized, leading to longer streaks or waves of light in Earth’s atmosphere.
Getting ready to hunt for meteors is crucial. (Image credit: Daisy Dobrijevic, Canva)
The Virtual Telescope Project’s facility in Italy will be the venue for a live stream of the event, featuring an all-sky camera that captures the Perseids at their peak and provides unparalleled views of them from the Maremma countryside.
On Saturday at 21:30 EDT, the live stream will be available for free on the Virtual Telescope Project’s WebTV page, YouTube channel, and Space.com.
To get a firsthand look at the Perseid meteor shower, check out our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars.
Our guide to capturing meteor showers and the night sky provides step-by-step instructions for taking photos, along with our best astrophotography cameras and lenses.
If you’re interested in sharing a photo of the Perseid meteor shower with Space.com, send it to [email protected] along with your name and address.