The Perseid meteor shower is back, bringing the spectacular cosmic light show to us once again!
Occurring every August, the brightest and most popular meteor shower will be peaking August 11th to 13th.
You can expect to see upwards of 50 to 75 shooting stars per hour at the peak.
August’s full Sturgeon moon won’t be doing us any favours on the night of August 11th when it is scheduled to make an appearance, which means that the Perseids’ peak will be considerably washed out by the light of the moon.
The good news is that the predicted peak for the Perseids in 2022 is on August 13th.
If you want to try and catch a few shooting stars, it’s recommended that you start watching the night sky in early August (the Perseid meteor shower occurs between July 14th and September 1st), from the late evening into dawn.
Comet Swift-Tuttle is the source of the meteor shower, a massive ball of ice, rock and other material orbiting the sun in a path that closely intersects Earth’s orbit.
Debris from the comet burns up in Earth’s atmosphere as it comes close to our planet, producing stunning trails of light visible in the night sky.
The Perseids are named such because they are most easily visible in the constellation Perseus in the Northern Hemisphere.
The meteor shower can be seen by looking directly Northeast towards the constellation, and is best viewed with the naked eye. Telescopes and binoculars will limit your field of view and your ability to see more streaks of light.
Find a good, dark place away from city lights, and give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. Arriving an hour before midnight each night should be plenty of time to adjust to the night sky.
The seven day forecast is predicting mostly sun during the day and clear skies.
To ensure you have the best view of the shower, give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and then lean back and enjoy the show above.
Happy viewing!
