Perseids meteor shower is one of the most vivid annual meteor shower which is visible in Earth’s night sky. This year the perseids will peak on August 12 and 13. Mostly it delivers 50-100 shooting stars per hours. The watchers find it an impressive show. But there is one problem this year. There will be a full moon.
“Sadly this year’s Perseids will see worst possible for spotters.” said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke who leads Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The people in North America would normally see 50 to 60 meteors per hour. But during the full moon the sight will be 10-20 per hour. As the full moon is so much brighter in night sky the full moon will wash out all the brightest Perseids as they streak through atmosphere and burn up far ahead. As the moon will subside the Perseids will weaken around August 21-22 and cease completely by September 1.
Perseids are debris of Comet Swift- Tuttle which is composed of ice, rock and dust. The comet orbits the Sun every 133 years. It was last visible in 1991 and won’t appear till 2125. Even this year is not best to make special trip you can be outside between midnight and dawn on August 13. You might catch one of the bright Perseid meteors which is brighter then the moon itself. The Perseid can streak across the sky as much as week beforehand.
