The wait is over.
For stargazers in North America, one of the most highly anticipated and reliable meteor showers will peak this week. The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, a reliable meteor shower that puts on a show year in and year out.,” AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said.
One big difference between the Perseids and the Geminids is the weather.
August typically features more comfortable stargazing weather for the Perseids compared to December’s cold and often cloudy conditions around the peak of the Geminids. Where and when to look: As with every meteor shower, the best time to look is when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky. The number of meteors able to be seen will gradually increase as the radiant point moves higher in the sky.
“They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus,” the AMS explained.
Contrary to popular belief, skywatchers do not need to look at radiant point to see the meteor shower -- shooting stars will be visible streaking across all areas of the sky.The radiant point for the Perseids will rise above the horizon by around 11 p.m. local time and will continue to climb higher in the sky as the night progresses.
However, the moon is set to rise by around 1 a.m. local time and will bring with it natural light pollution, making it more difficult to see some of the fainter meteors. Because of this, “Even though the Perseids will be most active after midnight, I encourage people to start looking once it gets dark in the evening,” Samuhel said. “You will be more likely to see a long-lived, bright meteor fly across a large portion of the sky during the evening.”
Courtesy of AccuWeather News
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