Get ready for the annual show in the sky this week, when the Perseids meteor shower takes center stage.
This year’s Perseid Meteor Shower will be one of the best: peaking Thursday night through to early hours of Friday, when as many as 200 meteors per hour will be visible streaking across the sky.
Most years, those watching the Perseid shower can expect to see about 60 to 80 comets per hour — but this year, there could be more than twice as much. Typically earth just grazes by Swift-Tuttle’s debris field, but our planet will be even closer to the particle stream this year thanks to some help from our neighbor Jupiter.
“Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour.” Bill Cooke with NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, said in a statement.
The Perseid Meteor Shower happens yearly, but Victorians will get a lovely, clear view of it this week, thanks to clear skies according Environment Canada. For optimal viewing, go outside between midnight and dawn on the morning of Aug. 12 and make sure to be in dark, clear areas, free from light pollution. Central Saanich and Metchosin being areas that are relatively accessible. Increased activity may also be seen on Aug. 12-13.
Even NASA recommends this as a must-see: “If you see one meteor shower this year, make it August’s Perseids.” “The darker the sky, the better viewing experience you can have. Lie on the ground and look straight up. Remember, your eyes can take up to 45 minutes to adjust to the darkness, so allow plenty of time for your eyes to adjust,” recommends NASA’s Bill Cooke. Keep your eyes off your cellphone!
The best way to see the Perseids is to Allow about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Lie on your back and look straight up.
The meteor shower is expected to peak at 1 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 12.
An outburst is a meteor shower with more meteors than usual. The last Perseid outburst occurred in 2009.
