Top 5 Perseid Meteor Shower Facts

Jonathan Stroud
Aug 9, 2017 · 4 min read

Prepare for the 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower with these fun facts. Enjoy!

Credit: ideastations.org

August 11 — 13, 2017 the annual Perseid Meteor Shower will peak over the northern hemisphere.

Grab some friends, a blanket and lay down to enjoy the annual Perseid Meteor Shower!

Where are you planning on watching the Perseid Meteor Shower? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn!

The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs between July 17th and August 24th, but doesn't peak until Earth passes through the densest area of the dust from Comet Swift-Tuttle on August 12, 2017. The predawn hours will be the best time to watch cosmic-dust slam into the Earth’s atmosphere creating vibrant streaks across the sky.

Impress your friends during the Perseid Meteor Shower with these five interesting facts. Enjoy!

Fact #5 — The center of Comet Swift-Tuttle is 16 miles across, which is about the size of the object that wiped out the dinosaurs

Credit: Images by Jim Scotti, University of Arizona

According to Space.com — “Swift-Tuttle, whose nucleus is 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide, is the largest solar system object to pass close to Earth repeatedly, NASA has said, and researchers once thought it was likely to hit Earth in 2126 — but the last time it passed Earth, in 1992, astronomers took more precise measurements and calculated that its next pass wouldn’t be so dangerous after all.read more here.

Fact #4 — 2017 Sky waters could see 50+ meteors per hour

On August 12th, weather permitting, you will be able to see about 40–50+ meteors per hour! Don’t worry, if the weather isn’t going to be clear for the Perseid Meteor Shower there are other annual showers you can experience throughout the year.

Fact #3 — Meteors will rain down from the Northeast

Credit: SkyandTelescope.com/USAToday.com

Don’t worry, as long as you’re in a dim-lit area with no clouds and looking up, you are going to see a bunch meteors. Although, if you’re attempting to record, photograph or just want to see as many shooting-stars as possible, make sure to point your equipment (or eyes) to the northeast between the Perseus and Cassiopeia constellations in the night sky. If you have no idea where that is in the sky you can download a Sky Watcher App on your phone to help find the right place!

Fact #2 — The moon with be three-quarters full during the peak of the 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower

Credit:moongiant.com

Unfortunately, this year when the moon rises around 11p.m. the dark night sky will be interrupted with light from a bright waning gibbous moon. Don’t let the moon ruin your fun though, the meteor shower will still be a spectacular experience!

According to EarthSky.org — “In a dark, moonless sky, this shower often produces 50 or more meteors per hour. But, in 2017, we’ll have to contend with the light of a bright waning gibbous moon, which rises at mid-evening and washes the sky during the peak hours of the shower, between midnight and dawn. A good number of Perseid meteors will be bright, so you should be able to see some Perseids, despite the moonlit glare.” — read more here.

Fact #1 — Comet Swift-Tuttle last passed Earth 1992

Earth passing through comet ice and dust that enters the atmosphere to cause the meteor shower. Credot: AstroBob

According to Space.com — “Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed nearby Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126. But it won’t be forgotten in the meantime, because Earth passes through the dust and debris it leaves behind every year, creating the annual Perseid meteor shower.” — read more here.

Where are you watching the Perseid Meteor Shower? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!

“Without Jupiter cleaning out the early solar system, the Earth would be pock-marked with meteor collisions. We would suffer from asteroid impacts every day. CNN studios would probably be a gigantic crater it if wasn’t for Jupiter.” - Michio Kaku

Jonathan Stroud

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Content creator, love to write, passionate about space.

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