The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most spectacular celestial events of the year. But if you can’t catch a glimpse of the show in real life, here’s how you can watch the event online.
The Perseids are active this year from July 14 to September 1, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS), and will peak on the night of August 12-13.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of cosmic debris left behind by comets and, in rare cases, asteroids. During showers, many meteors cross the sky, appearing to come from a single point, known as the radiant.
Meteors – colloquially known as shooting stars – are the streaks of light we see across the sky when tiny fragments of space junk burn through Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds.
The Perseids consistently deliver a high rate of meteors, while the fact that they occur in August usually means that viewing conditions are relatively good for people viewing the event from the northern hemisphere.
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“The Perseids are famous for a very good reason: they’re spectacular. In the best-case scenario, you can easily see dozens of them per hour with the naked eye, if you’re under dark skies,” the astronomer said. Gianluca Masi, with the virtual telescope. Project (VTP), says Newsweek.
“Plus, they happen on some of the hottest summer nights in the Northern Hemisphere, so it’s great to be standing outside stargazing.”
For those who prefer to watch the show from the comfort of their own home, the VTP will provide a free live stream of the event.
When to watch Perseids 2022
To capture the event, Masi will use at least two full-frame digital cameras equipped with 24mm and 35mm super high-brightness lenses. These are capable of recording the faintest meteor event, according to Masi.
The live stream is scheduled to begin at 1:00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time on August 10 or 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 9.
The reason the stream airs on this date is because the moon will be nearly full on the peak night, making it harder to see the meteor shower.
“Every year we have to consider where the moon will be in the sky when it peaks,” Masi said. “Our satellite, with its light, can literally ruin the show. Last year, for example, was great because the moon was basically new, so it was not visible: we had no contamination from the moonlight. moon.
“Unfortunately, this year we will have a full supermoon just like the peak of the Perseids. The full moon is visible all night, seriously affecting the enjoyment of the meteor shower. Considering that the Perseids are already generously active days before the maximum, we decided to launch the live stream a few days early.”
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That night, the moon will set about 60 minutes before dawn, leaving very dark skies at the end of the night, when the radiant from the meteor shower will be at its highest in the sky. These are the “most desirable” conditions for observing the event, according to Masi.
The Perseid radiant is located in the constellation Perseus, which is named after a hero from ancient Greek mythology who was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë.
The Perseids aren’t the only meteor shower active at this time of year. The southern delta aquarids and alpha capricorns are also both currently active, although they have already peaked, according to the AMS.
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