200 Perseid Meteors Per Hour Predicted

[Friends just call me Ross]

200 Perseid Meteors Per Hour Predicted

(Try saying that fast three times)

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Perseid outburst expected in 2016

By Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd in ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS | July 25, 2016

Outburst – perhaps 200 meteors an hour – predicted for 2016 Perseid meteor shower. Peak night August 11-12, but watch on the nights leading up to the peak, too.

In 2016, astronomers expect an outburst of Perseid meteors! The prediction is for 200 meteors per hour seen on the peak night, August 11-12 (evening of August 11, morning of August 12). That’s about double the usual rate. From southerly latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll enjoy the shower, too, with about a third as many meteors expected. In 2016, the waxing gibbous moon sets before the predawn hours. So if the outburst occurs before dawn for you, the moon won’t be in the way. Will you see the outburst? Maybe. The peak rates are predicted to last about half a day, from late August 11 to mid-August 12 UTC. But, outburst or no outburst, the Perseids are always a treat. 

 

General rules for Perseid-watching. No special equipment, or knowledge of the constellations, needed.

Find a dark, open sky to enjoy the show. An open sky is essential because these meteors fly across the sky in many different directions and in front of numerous constellations.

Give yourself at least an hour of observing time, for these meteors in meteor showers come in spurts and are interspersed with lulls. Remember, your eyes can take as long as 20 minutes to adapt to the darkness of night. So don’t rush the process.

Know that the meteors all come from a single point in the sky. If you trace the paths of the Perseid meteors backwards, you’d find they all come from a point in front of the constellation Perseus. Don’t worry about which stars are Perseus. Just enjoying knowing and observing that they all come from one place on the sky’s dome.

Enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair. Bring along some other things you might enjoy also, like a thermos filled with a hot drink.

Remember … all good things come to those who wait. Meteors are part of nature. There’s no way to predict exactly how many you’ll see on any given night. Find a good spot, watch, wait.

You’ll see some.

What’s the source of the Perseid meteor shower? Every year, from around July 17 to August 24, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent of the Perseid meteor shower. Debris from this comet litters the comet’s orbit, but we don’t really get into the thick of the comet rubble until after the first week of August. The bits and pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at some 130,000 miles (210,000 km) per hour, lighting up the nighttime with fast-moving Perseid meteors.

I'm gonna be out watchin'...and countin.

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http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower

 

[tekmantwo]

2 hours ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

 

I'm gonna be out watchin'...and countin.

 

I love these kind of displays.  I  try to watch them anytime we swing through. 

One night back in the early 90s I had the opportunity to stay out a good portion of the night with my then youngest daughter. 

We lived in the SoCal desert,  Desert Hot Springs,  and I had a '68 Nova, the rear window and trunk made a perfect recliner bed.

We stayed out for hours, counted many hundreds of bright lights. 

It remains a fond memory. ..

[hatcheckgirl]

Love to see this too. Need to set the alarm. Thanks Ross for reminding us it's due.