August 10-13, 2014 before dawn, the Perseids The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps the most beloved meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, though it’ll have to contend with a bright waning gibbous moon in 2014. The shower builds gradually to a peak, often produces 50 to 100 meteors per hour in a dark sky at the peak, and, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, this shower comes when the weather is warm. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. They radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero, but, as with all meteor shower radiant points, you don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower; instead, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. They are typically fast and bright meteors. They frequently leave persistent trains. Every year, you can look for the Perseids to peak around August 10-13. Predicted peak mornings in 2014: August 11, 12 and 13. The Perseids combine with the Delta Aquarid shower (above) to produce a dazzling display of shooting stars on what are, for us in the N. Hemisphere, warm summer nights. In 2014, as always, the Perseid meteors will be building to a peak from early August until the peak nights; afterwards, they drop off fairly rapidly. Best time of night is always late night until dawn. In 2014, there will be major interference from the waning gibbous moon on the peak nights. So try observing in late July and early August, as the Delta Aquarids are flying and the Perseid shower is building. Give the mornings of the peak a try as well, as some bright Perseids will probably be able to overcome the moon-drenched skies. This was meant to be posted with my recent post but facebook had a different opinion !!!!!! Beginning just about now, the numbers of meteors seen between midnight and dawn USUALLY increases until it hits a peak on the morning of August 13; then it generally tapers off very rapidly. The full moon interferes with the shower this year BUT - if you can put yourself in a moon shadow, the numbers can rise VERY dramatically! Just let your eyes dark-adapt and look for the darkest, deepest patch of ground with the most exposure to the night sky and thats your viewing location! Keep lookin up! Everything you need to know: Perseid meteor shower
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:48:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015