Every August, the most interesting spectacle in our solar system isn’t in theaters or on streaming services, but the most dramatic at night: the cosmic fireworks display known as the Perseid meteor shower. It will be a great opportunity to attend this long-running annual show this year, which coincides with the warmest nights and early mornings of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
The monitors of 2024 offer impressive (perhaps even sensational) viewing conditions.
What does a meteorite smell like? Someone found it and bottled it.
What exactly is the Perseid meteor shower?
The Perseid meteor shower is an annual collision with our planet. It is the debris left behind by a comet called 109P/Swift-Tuttle. It orbits the sun like us, but in a different orbit, which happens to be the same as ours. intersect. As the Earth orbits tiny particles of meteoroids, they crash into our atmosphere at extremely fast speeds and ignite. Meteoroids only briefly transform into what we call shooting stars during their spectacular deaths.
This all happens during your meteor viewing session, about 60 miles above your head. For reference, the Moon is about 24,000 miles away, while Mirfak, the brightest star in the constellation Perseus, is 510 light-years away. In other words, meteors are very close to us—so close that you can sometimes hear them.
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, with its 16-mile-wide nucleus, is the largest object known to have repeatedly passed by our planet, but it won’t do so again until 2126. Not in 2126 and probably never will be. But there is a small chance that this will happen at some unspecified point in the distant future – catastrophically.
Mix and match speed of light
When can you see the peak of the Perseid meteor shower in 2024?
The show will reach its climax in the predawn hours of August 12, with up to 100 shooting stars per hour sometimes visible.
For best results, stay up late on the night of Sunday, August 11 until early Monday morning, or look up when it gets dark any time before the end of August. Viewing conditions depend on how dim the moon is, and in 2024 we’re in luck: peak illumination is only 50%. It will also sink below the horizon around midnight, meaning there will be essentially no moon in the early morning hours so you can enjoy shooting stars.
As always, the precise schedule for the moon will vary depending on your location, so check your local listings.
It’s worth noting that as one of the most persistent meteor showers, the Perseids stick around for more than a month each year, meaning activity can be seen from mid-July to late August. Assuming favorable moon and weather conditions, peak activity is theoretically the time when you’ll see the most meteors, but any clear night during shower activity has a chance of seeing the Perseids. For example, the new moon on August 4 will darken the sky, providing another possible opportunity for excellent off-peak viewing.
How to spot the Perseid meteor shower in 2024
The Perseid meteor shower is named because it appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus. This can be a bit deceiving, however, because you don’t have to worry about finding Perseus; you just have to worry about finding Perseus. During a shower, shooting stars appear to streak across the sky. Pointing out Perseus during stargazing will make you the A+ student who raises his hand at a stargazing party, but it probably won’t help anyone see more shooting stars.
For best viewing, go to a dark location away from city lights. Even the lights of suburban or exurban areas can contaminate precious darkness, so head into the deep wilderness if you can. Give your pupils about 30 minutes to dilate, activating your body’s rarely used night vision mode. Telescopes and binoculars are fun, but unnecessary and even counterproductive because they limit your peripheral vision.
But I made it too complicated. Is this your first time stargazing in a while? Just like in the movies: lie on a blanket, relax, and stare at the sky.
