PERSEID METEOR SHOWER TO PEAK BETWEEN NOW AND WEDNESDAY MORNING - OR HAS IT ALREADY PEAKED? The bar graph image is a graph I created illustrating the total number of Perseid Fireballs (captured by NASAs Fireball Network) each night over the past week vs. the number of Sporadic Fireballs vs. “other” fireballs (those which can be attributed to much smaller meteor showers not worth mentioning.) Doesnt it always seem that when they say there’s gonna be a big meteor shower, there isnt much of one to be seen? Perhaps their calculations are off by 4 or 5 days because, judging by the numbers from NASA’s fireball network cameras, the Perseids seem to have already peaked and died down since the 4th, with no more than 19 Perseid fireballs being reported on any one night over the past week. It should be mentioned, however, that on Aug. 8th the fireball network captured a record 83 fireballs in total, only 17 of which could be attributed to the Perseid meteor shower - and a whopping 63 sporadics - meaning meteors that come from no known meteor shower and from varying directions. Only 3 Perseids were captured by the network last night into this morning (Aug. 11). This may be due in part to the full “Super Moon” washing out much of the sky, but the infrared cameras still manage to pick up the fireballs regardless of light pollution - so I’m not entirely sure that’s a factor in the decreasing number of Perseid captures over the past few days. However, with such random peaks in “sporadic” fireballs, it’s certainly worth your time to go look up over the next several nights. ⚠ Below is the official info on how and when to watch the meteor shower and a link to watch NASA’s live stream of it, in case it’s cloudy where you are (also, see visibility map included in this post) NASA has determined that the Perseids produce more fireballs, explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak, than any other annual meteor shower. 🌙 The Perseids are expected to begin Sunday night and will peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. ✨ The best time for viewing is a few hours before dawn. However, as early as 10PM you can likely start seeing some meteors. √ Lie flat on your back with your feet pointed northeast (see: sky map of where to look for Perseid meteors in: this post) and be patient. √ Meteors tend to come in clusters, so you might go 10 or 20 minutes without seeing any and then see several in a row. √ Observers typically count more than 100 meteors an hour, though the brightness of the supermoon may diminish the Perseids’ visibility. 💻 NASA will also offer a live video stream and chat on Aug. 12: nasa.gov/watchtheskies/perseids-2014.html#.U-lYIoBdVE9 SOURCES: Years Best Meteor Shower: Where to See the Perseids - accuweather/en/weather-news/meteor-shower-perseid-where-to/32023729 Perseid Meteor Shower and Full Moon To Occur Together This Year - boston/news/weather/weather_wisdom/2014/08/perseid_meteor_shower_and_full.html Bar graph data via SpaceWeather and fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:47:49 +0000
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