Current:Home > NewsThe Perseids are here. Here’s how to see the ‘fireballs’ of summer’s brightest meteor shower-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
The Perseids are here. Here’s how to see the ‘fireballs’ of summer’s brightest meteor shower
View Date:2024-12-24 00:04:02
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Perseids are back to dazzle the sky with bursts of light and color.
The annual meteor shower, active since July, peaks before dawn Monday. It’s one of the brightest and most easily viewed showers of the year, producing “bright blue meteors — and lots of them,” said University of Warwick astronomer Don Pollacco.
More than 50 meteors per hour are expected, according to the American Meteor Society. The shower lasts through Sept. 1.
Here’s what to know about the Perseids and other meteor showers.
What is a meteor shower?
Multiple meteor showers occur annually and you don’t need special equipment to see them.
Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Perseids is the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them — the end of a “shooting star.”
The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.
The Perseids result from “bigger particles than a lot of other showers,” said NASA’s Bill Cooke, giving them the appearance of “bright fireballs” — easier to spot than many others.
How to view a meteor shower
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours.
It’s easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brightest on cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest.
The Northern Hemisphere will have the best view of the Perseids. This year’s peak coincides with a moon around 44% full.
When is the next meteor shower?
The meteor society keeps a list of upcoming large meteor showers, including the peak viewing days and moonlight conditions.
The next major meteor shower will be the Orionids, peaking in mid-October.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (96)
Related
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- A New Study Suggests the Insect Repellent DEET Might Affect Reproductive Systems
- Heavy snowfall and freezing rain cause flight, train cancellations across Germany
- Biden to meet with congressional leaders on national security package
- Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Steps Out Ringless Amid Split Speculation
- Alabama execution using nitrogen gas could amount to torture and violate human rights treaties, U.N. warns
- Bills face more weather-related disruptions ahead AFC divisional playoff game vs. Chiefs
- Bernie Sanders forces US senators into a test vote on military aid as the Israel-Hamas war grinds on
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $113 million
- Why ‘viability’ is dividing the abortion rights movement
Ranking
- Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
- The Leap from Quantitative Trading to Artificial Intelligence
- St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is sidelined by COVID-19 for game against Seton Hall
- Coroner identifies woman found dead near where small plane crashed in ocean south of San Francisco
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Sudan suspends ties with east African bloc for inviting paramilitary leader to summit
- California emergency services official sued for sexual harassment, retaliation
- A rare white penguin has been discovered in Antarctica among one of the world's largest penguin species
Recommendation
-
NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
-
The Supreme Court takes up major challenges to the power of federal regulators
-
Lawmakers announce bipartisan effort to enhance child tax credit, revive tax breaks for businesses
-
China starts publishing youth jobless data again, with a new method and a lower number
-
Opinion: Chris Wallace leaves CNN to go 'where the action' is. Why it matters
-
New Zealand’s first refugee lawmaker resigns after claims of shoplifting
-
Qatar and France send medicine for hostages in Gaza as war rages on and regional tensions spike
-
All hail the Chicago 'Rat Hole': People leave offerings at viral rat-shaped cement imprint