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One of the most fertile one-year meteor exhibitioner of the year , the Perseids , peaks tonight , bring up to 75 " shooting stars " per hour to the sky in some parts of the world . Although the U.S. see its meridian last night ( Sunday Aug. 11 ) , many streak meteors will still be visible disk overhead tonight for those in suitably dark area .
Although shiny meteors are expected , the display can be importantly regard by strong Moon . But this yr , the moon will set just as strong activeness begins to occur from the Perseids , according to theAmerican Meteor Society . The best time to look will be after 1 a.m. local time .
A Perseid meteor shoots through the sky over a vibrant aurora in Aug. 2024. The peak of the Perseids coincided with a solar outburst that brought auroras to much lower latitudes than usual.
Update : Auroras may also get together the show in many share of the creation , as a hefty geomagnetic violent storm will make theNorthern Lightsvisible at low latitudes than common , admit in more than a twelve state near the U.S.-Canada border , fit in to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation .
Shooting stars are caused bymeteoroids . As these petite particles enter Earth ’s atmosphere , they heat up and vanish , releasing DOE visible as streak of Christ Within in the nighttime sky . The Perseids move at a swift 37 miles per 2nd ( 60 kilometers per second ) , and there are typically between 50 and 75 visible each hour during the peak dark . That ’s about one per hour , though you ’ll need to be as far away fromlight pollutionas possible to see an impressive number of shooting stars .
relate : The 1st week of August is a stargazer ’s delight . Here ’s why .
The Perseid meteoroid shower is bonk for its truehearted and bright meteor , accord toNASA . The shooting star seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus , which is how they get their name . This constellation will rise high in the northwest sky in the Northern Hemisphere in the hours after midnight , when the most shooting wizard are expected to be seen . Also seeable in this region of the sky is the Andromeda Galaxy , above Perseus , and the Pleiades , above Mars and Jupiter .
Although tonight ’s height offers the highest frequency of meteors , the Perseids are active from July 14 to Sept. 1 , 2024 , and " shooting star " can be seen every night .
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The profile of shoot star reckon a lot on themoon ’s phases . Luckily , on Monday , Aug. 12 , a half - get off lunar month will set about an 60 minutes after midnight local time across the Northern Hemisphere , meaning no warm moonshine will interfere with the flush of the Perseids this year . A unclouded , dismal sky is required to see the meteors .
Stargazing binocularsandbackyard telescopesare not urge for seeing meteor shower , as you ’ll require to let your optic take in the whole sky to search for shooting stars . However , you ’ll want to have your stargazing gear ready for othernight sky events this yr , include global conjunctions , supermoons and potentially avery rare comet flyby .
According toNASA , Comet 109P / Swift - Tuttle is the root suit of the Perseid meteor shower . It last entered the innersolar systemin 1992 and will enter it again in 2125 .
