Perseid Sky Map (NASA)
Perseid Meteor Shower fans: This is the year to catch a falling star! But beware: The peak occurs on a different day that you are probably used to.
The shower will peak on the night of August 11 and 12, around midnight (yes, this is a night or two earlier than usual, thanks to Leap Year, I suppose). Look to the northeastern part of the sky. Try to find somewhere away from city lights; for suggestions on the absolute best places in the Western Hemisphere to view the Perseids, check my picks.
What makes this year’s show better than others? Almost no moon. Just a waning quarter, after midnight.
Up to 80 meteors an hour are expected from this year’s edition of the popular annual meteor show.
The night of August 12/13 will also be a great night for the sky show. But you can also see the some Perseid meteors every night from July 23 to August 22.
For more information and other 2012 celestial events, see SeaSky.org’s informative website. Or, NASA’s terrific site.
The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus, because the meteors seem to come from that area of the sky.
Jerry Garrett
July 1, 2012
[...] and some suggestions about where and how to best view the Perseids, you can check out the series of columns I’ve written previously on this [...]
By: 2012 Perseid Meteor Shower Officially Kicks Off July 23 « Garrett On The Road on July 23, 2012
at 3:46 pm
I saw two last night! On my way home from work at just after 9pm in Peterborough, England.
By: susan on July 24, 2012
at 6:36 am
You’re doubly lucky! If I were you, I’d buy lotto tickets immediately!
By: Jerry Garrett on July 24, 2012
at 5:16 pm
Has anyone mentioned that your calendars on the righthand column are all wrong
By: Linda on August 7, 2012
at 8:51 pm
Thanks. I think they are meant to be archive calendars. The weeks start with Monday. The month the post was published determines what calendar is displayed. Sort of a weird WordPress feature, but not the only one.
By: Jerry Garrett on August 7, 2012
at 9:02 pm