- A full moon’s evening coincides with the highest point of the Perseids shower.
- Three meteor showers that you will be able to observe this weekend.
- Two more in August, just before we finish the summer of this year.
Shooting star gazers Assemble!
It’s the time of year that you start planning your weekend about what’s happening in the night sky. You might even have a full trip planned for the height of Perseid meteor shower. However, you can start taking a look at the sky on this weekend, Space.com reports.
For those who might aren’t familiar with the concept meteor shower, it occurs when the Earth traverses the direction of a comet as well as the debris it left behind. When the fragments of debris make their way into the Earth’s atmosphere, they heat up , leaving streaks of light across the sky at night.
There are meteor showers like Perseid. Perseid that happen every year, and provide an excellent chance to gain knowledge about meteors generally and plan your outdoor excursions. This year, however, the highest point for Perseid meteors is on the 13th of August. Perseid meteors, which are the night between the 12th and 13th of August, happens to be an Full Moon night, when the Earth’s natural satellite is set to reflect the most light into the sky, and dim the spectacle that the debris put up.
Delta Aquarids meteor shower
Due to dirt and dust left behind by Machholz’s comet caused by the dust and debris left behind by the comet 96P/ Machholz The Delta Aquarids are visible in the night sky and will remain visible until the 21st of August. The highest point of the shower occurs on this weekend, and you may see up to twenty “shooting stars” each hour.
The term “radiant point” refers to a spot in the sky where paths of meteors , if extended backwards, would cross the same constellation and look like the place at which the shower appears to emerge from. For the Delta Aquarids this radiant spot is located in the sky constellation Aquarius.
Alpha Capricornids meteor shower
The Alpha Capricornids are relatively minor meteor showers which are likely to display a handful of “shooting stars” but they are moving quite slowly. The shower will be visible through the 15th day of August and beyond, the Capricornids are peaking over the weekend and for those who are looking for them in the northern hemisphere appears to be coming out of the south, Forbes said..
The dust that causes the showers comes from the comet 169P/NEAT The bright point in the sky is the constellation Capricorn.
Perseids meteor shower
The Perseids meteor shower will be visible from July 7 through August 24, and because the night of the most intense light show will not be much fun You can see the most spectacular show during that New Moon night of this weekend.
The dust from the Perseid is a result of Swift-Tuttle, the comet that passed closer to Sun in 1992. It will be visible for in another 100 years. The highest point of the shower could be as high as 100 trails per hour. But, this weekend, the amount of trails will be lower.
It is the radiant star constellation Perseus The trails will be visible in northwestern sky.
In the event that this weekend is just off the mark it is possible that there will be Iota Aquarids that will peak on August 6th. The trails could be around six miles an hour however, once the Moon is set at around midnight, they’ll be easily visible in the dark sky at 2.30 a.m., Space.com said in its report.
The final showers that will be taking place this summer will occur between August 3-25 during which the Kappa Cygnids are on display. In its prime the shower will comprise of the three to four meteors however some of them could be stunning fireworks. Spotting meteors is, however, only able to be completed until midnight when the moonlight will be visible in the sky.