This weekend, one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year, the Perseid meteor shower, will grace the night sky, offering a dazzling display of shooting stars.
Known for its high frequency of meteors and bright fireballs, the Perseid meteor shower is a must-see event for astronomers and stargazers alike.
The Perseid meteor shower, named after the constellation Perseus from which it appears to radiate, is caused by Earth passing through the debris trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Discovered in 1862, Comet Swift-Tuttle orbits the Sun once every 133 years, leaving behind a stream of particles that Earth encounters every August.
As these particles, most no larger than a grain of sand, enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds, they burn up and create the streaks of light known as meteors.
This year, the Perseids are expected to peak during the night of August 12th into the early morning hours of August 13th.
The best time to view the shower is after midnight when the sky is at its darkest and the radiant point in the constellation Perseus is higher in the sky.