The Moscow Planetarium reminds that the traditional August meteor shower from the constellation Perseus, the Perseids, continues, which takes place from July 17 to August 24. In the northern hemisphere of the Earth tonight, from August 12 to 13, the peak of the meteor shower will occur. The stars can be observed from midnight all night without any telescope or other equipment.
Perseids look like white bright meteors sharply crossing the sky. The speed of meteors is very high: about 60 kilometers per second. The glow of some particularly bright specimens lasts up to several seconds, and astronomers call such meteors bolides.
The maximum flow is on August 12, about 120 meteors per hour or 1-2 meteors per minute are expected at the zenith. The flow is best observed in the second half of the night and in the morning - in the eastern direction and high above the horizon. In mid-August, for an observer in central Russia, the constellation Perseus is observed all night. After sunset, the radiant of the Perseids is located above the northeastern horizon, and by midnight and dawn, it rises high into the zenith, so that "falling stars" become visible throughout the sky.
In 2024, the flashes of Perseid meteors will be accompanied by a bright pair of converging planets. Mars and Jupiter on the night of the meteor shower maximum will pass close to each other and will also be visible.
The best place to observe meteors is in the mountains or places away from large cities. Astronomers recommend traveling 30 kilometers from settlements, and from large cities, such as Moscow, you will have to travel more than 100 kilometers. You can see the Perseids in the city, but due to the illumination of the sky, most of them will not be available.
Read materials on the topic:
"Scenarios are not defined": The Sun is increasing the activity of flares after a month of calm
Moscow Planetarium: a rare conjunction of Mars and Jupiter will occur on August 14