Every summer we are accustomed to watching an amazing meteor shower. In August, this meteor shower does not occur by chance, but according to its usual schedule.
General information
Don't think that starfall is some kind of spontaneous event that takes place in the immediate vicinity of our planet without any warning. In fact, any meteor shower passes near the Earth's orbit on schedule, at the same time of the year.
Traditionally, the most memorable phenomenon in the sky is the Perseid star shower. Most often, the most active phase of this stream occurs between the seventeenth of July and the twenty-fourth of August. It is believed that the Perseids are the most dynamic and spectacular meteor shower, so it is not surprising that almost every year many people are concerned about the question of when the meteor shower will take place.
Quite often this spectacle coincides with a supermoon. Together, both of these phenomena look unforgettable.
History of the Perseids
The first comet, which became the ancestor of the stream, was the Swift-Tuttle comet, discovered by these two scientists back in 1862. Moreover, the discovery was carried out by them separately from each other.friend almost on the same day. It was for this reason that it was decided to give the comet a double name.
The total period of revolution of a comet around the Sun is one hundred and thirty-five years. The last time this comet passed near Earth was in 1992. Because of its close proximity to Earth, the comet was the reason for the high activity of the Perseids. As a result, the following year, during the usual meteor shower, scientists noticed an unprecedented number of meteors, at times the total number of these celestial bodies exceeded five hundred pieces per hour.
As you move away from the Sun, the number of Perseids becomes smaller every year. Since the late nineties, this spectacle no longer evokes as many emotions as it did before. Scientists have calculated that the next time the comet will pass in close proximity to the Earth only in 2126, respectively, only then will the number of falling meteorites increase.
The very first mention of meteorites (Perseids) dates back to the thirty-sixth year BC in the Chinese chronicle. In general, this meteor shower is often mentioned in various Chinese, Japanese and Korean annals, up to the nineteenth century. This means that even at that distant time, residents were also interested in the question of when the meteor shower would take place in August. Unfortunately, with past technologies, they were not able to get an accurate answer to this question. While we know in advance what time it will be possible to see the most spectacular starfall.
In Europe, the Perseids were called the "Tears of St. Lawrence" for a long time, since the festival inthe honor of this saint was held at the very peak of the meteor shower.
When will the meteor shower?
Maximum stars tend to fall on the same dates every year. You can admire the starfall on the twelfth and thirteenth of August. The total number of meteors reaches from one hundred to one hundred and ten in one hour, so in the end you will enjoy an unforgettable spectacle.
Especially attractive is the fact that in order to look at the starfall in August, you do not need to purchase any special astrological instruments, since everyone can enjoy this spectacle. All you have to do is get out of the house and find a place where the view of the sky is not blocked by various buildings or trees.
Most often, the main peak of the fall of the Perseids falls on the time period from twelve to fourteen thirty. It is worth remembering that the intensity of this phenomenon can vary significantly from year to year, since everything directly depends on the density of the cloud of particles located in the part of the plume from the comet that our planet crosses.
Where is the best place to watch?
In addition to worrying about when the starfall will be, it is worth taking care of how to look at it correctly. The best option is to find a place away from city lights. It is important that the night you choose is not too lunar, as in such a situation you will have a chance to miss not too bright meteors.
During the meteor shower, it is not necessary to always try to look at the same point in the sky. It is betterjust bring a comfortable reclining chair or a regular beach chair. This will allow you to view the entire sky at your leisure without straining.
Why do we see starfall?
The question "What time will the meteor shower be?" is not correct, because often you have a real opportunity to see these meteorites all night, from the moment they appear on the eastern horizon, and ending with the moment they fill the entire sky.
Perseids are white meteorites. Stars of other colors are not characteristic of this phenomenon, so they can be attributed to another stream, which is not so noticeable.
Starfall in August passes due to the fact that the Earth is in a plume of dust particles formed in the tail of a comet. When this object approaches the Sun, the particles begin to heat up, after which they scatter into small pieces of ice. In turn, fragments of a decaying meteorite fall into the earth's atmosphere and burn up in it. During its outburst, these debris are similar to the stars that we see during a meteor shower.
A similar phenomenon can be observed from any part of our planet.
Starfall in August. What time is the next one?
Meteor showers repeat exactly every year, since their orbits have a common area of intersection. Moreover, our planet crosses this area not immediately, but within a few weeks. Therefore, you can enjoy this amazing spectacle at any time for almost a whole month, from July 17 to July 20.fourth of August. The exact time at which the meteor shower will be is not called, since the meteor shower can be seen at almost any period of time.
