PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower peaks this week. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year with observers seeing as many as 100 meteors per hour under a dark sky.

This year’s shower is expected to peak on the night of Wed. Aug 11 / Thur. Aug. 12. On that night, with the crescent moon setting around 10pm, observers should be in for a good show! The best time to watch this shower is from about 10:30pm – 4am. If you are not able to watch on Wednesday night, Thursday night is also expected to have a good rate, albeit, with lower numbers.

Later evening viewers will see fewer meteors, but these tend to be the longest lasting and sometimes brightest of the night. This time, from 10:30pm – midnight will be the best for family and student viewing. The window to see the maximum amount of meteors is usually in the early morning hours between 2-4am.

The radiant, the direction the meteors seem to come from, will be rising across the northeastern sky during the night, so that is usually the best direction to look in.

Grab a lawn chair, head for a dark location, and look up to see one of the greatest natural light shows of the year! To learn more, visit: https://amsmeteors.org/2021/07/viewing-the-perseid-meteor-shower-in-2021/

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