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The Perseid Meteor Shower

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The Perseid Meteor Shower
By: Brian Ventrudo, August 11, 2015

The 2010 Perseids over the VLT
Photo credit: ESO/S. Guisard. Used under Creative Commons license, via Wikimedia Commons

In 258 A.D., to distract the masses from constant war under his reign, the Roman emperor Valerian ordered the merciless execution of dozens of leaders of the Catholic church. Among those martyred was one of the seven deacons of Rome, Laurentius, just 33 years old. The Roman authorities, rarely subtle, tortured Laurentius by roasting him alive on an iron stove. Though doomed, Laurentius taunted his captors and cried out, “I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other.”

With that brave comment, Laurentius, now called St. Lawrence, became the patron saint of comedians. But the date he died, August 10, was also known throughout the ancient world for an annual display of meteors or “shooting stars”. In medieval Europe, this meteor display became known as the fiery “Tears of St. Lawrence”. We now call them the Perseids, the finest meteor shower of the year, visible from late July through mid-August.

Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are simply dust-sized pieces of icy debris expelled from a comet, in this case, Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the Earth passes through the comet’s debris once each year, some particles streak through our atmosphere and heat up, leaving a transient bright streak we call a meteor. The tiny particles burn up in the atmosphere. Very few, if any, make it to the Earth’s surface. Some hit the moon, too, though they’re too faint to see, even with a telescope.

While the Perseids move into the Earth’s atmosphere on parallel paths, they appear to radiate from a single point in the sky called a radiant. The effect is similar to falling snowflakes that seem to radiate from a point in front of your windshield as you drive into a snowstorm. The radiant of the Perseid meteors is found in the northern constellation of Perseus near the border with Cassiopeia.

The Perseids build slowly, starting in late July when you might see 3-4 an hour. They peak when Earth passes through the thickest part of the debris stream on August 12-13. At the peak of the show, in clear, dark sky, you might see as many as 60 meteors an hour.

For the best view, observe late on August 12 and the early morning of August 13. After midnight is best… that’s when the Earth turns into the stream of particles from Swift-Tuttle. Avoid ambient light if you can. Lie on a reclining chair or a blanket on the ground, and simply look up. You don’t need binoculars or a telescope. You don’t need to look right at Perseus: the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. Those with long streaks come into the atmosphere at an oblique angle. Those with shorter streaks enter the atmosphere at a steep angle and come more directly towards you (no, they will not hit you).

It’s the best celestial show of the month. So hope for clear skies, and get out and see the Perseids if you can.

 

 

Brian Ventrudo

About the Author

Brian Ventrudo is a writer, scientist, and astronomy educator. He received his first telescope at the age of 5 and completed his first university course in astronomy at the age of 12, eventually receiving a master's degree in the subject. He also holds a Ph.D. in engineering physics from McMaster University. During a twenty-year scientific career, he developed laser systems to detect molecules found in interstellar space and planetary atmospheres, and leveraged his expertise to create laser technology for optical communications networks. Since 2008, Brian has taught astronomy to tens of thousands of stargazers through his websites OneMinuteAstronomer.com and CosmicPursuits.com.

 

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This article is © Brian Ventrudo 2015. All rights reserved.

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Comments

    1. clintwhitman Sep 8, 2015
      Thanks for the write up Brian.
      This year we were up on Mnt, Pinos and I noticed the trails seemed to be very blue this year.
      [​IMG]
    2. AstroLife Aug 26, 2015
      I was lucky enough to catch a clear night on the morning of Aug 13 before dawn. I watched for about 2 hours and I estimated about 1 meteor per minute over that time for about 60/hour. Most were very faint though although about half a dozen were noteworthy.

      Harry D.
    3. BillP Aug 23, 2015
      Wow. That is a stunning pic! Unfortunately it was cloudy for me when they peaked. However, while out with the scope 2 days later a bright orange colored one left a trail across the entire sky coming out or Perseus. Was very cool as the bright trail lingered a little then slowly disintegrated.