A moon setting before 1 a.m. local time on August 4, 5, and 6 in the United States, will make the night sky ideal for meteor shower watching. However, this year's peak occurs with a 94% lit moon which will be present all night long.
The Perseid shower has been putting on a preview of sorts since July 17 - one to three meteors per night - and will peak August 12-13 before fading to a conclusion August 24. Early reports say there are quite a few fireball meteors this go-round with the Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids shower will be the last meteor shower until October 22, when the Orionids take place, according to Business Insider.
Swift-Tuttle is pretty massive, comparatively speaking.
The Perseids are the dust remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is the largest object to pass Earth. Most shooting stars that burn up in our atmosphere are smaller than a grain of sand. And that's something that is associated with this particular meteor shower, which is very good news this year since the moon will be so bright. The best thing to do is to get away from lights.
And the best part about meteor showers is you don't need binoculars or a telescope.
To view the Perseids, find a dark location, a comfortable chair and look to the northeast quadrant of the sky between 10 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., said James Andrus, a Cortez meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
The Byron Forest Preserve District will offer a free viewing of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower on Monday, August 12th, Tuesday, August 13th and Wednesday, August 14th. Those ones radiate from the constellation of Aquarius in the southern sky.
Your best night might be from August 9 onward, as the frequency of meteors will increase the closer we get to the peak. The lunar glow in the sky will reduce the numbers of faint meteors but you could still see brighter ones and the occasional fireball. You will not need any viewing equipment.
06 August 2019
06 August 2019
06 August 2019
06 August 2019
