Perseid meteor shower is active starting August; When will it peak and how to spot it?

The Perseid meteor shower, which is the best annual meteor shower, has turned active and will peak later this month. According to NASA, the Perseids start around July 15 every year but get significantly active starting in August and peak around day 13th of this month. This year, the meteor shower is expected to peak between August 12 and August 13 and one can spot as many as 60 to 100 meteors in an hour that cruise through the sky at a speed of 59 km per second. 

Origin of the Perseid meteors

NASA says that the Perseid meteors are leftovers of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Events like meteor shower occur when an asteroid or a hurtling comet leaves behind debris in the Earth’s orbit. When our planet passes through this debris, they interact with its atmosphere leaving behind streaks of fiery light in different colours.

As for the Perseids, these meteors were first confirmed to belong to the 109P/Swift-Tuttle by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1865. According to NASA, the Swift-Tuttle takes 133 years to complete one orbit around the Sun and last visited the inner solar system in 1992. Discovered in 1862 by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, this comet is estimated to be approximately 26 kilometres across, making it much bigger than the asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs from Earth. 

How and when to spot the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseid meteor shower is best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, although the cosmic show often also begins as early as 10 pm. You can also look for the Perseus constellation in the sky for a reference point as this is the area where the Perseid meteor shower emerges from. 

To make sure you don't miss the fiery meteors, make sure to find a dark spot free from light pollution caused by artificial lighting. You can also head out for stargazing about 30 minutes before the event begins to let your eyes adjust to the dark sky.  As mentioned above, this meteor shower, which is considered the best of the year, began on July 14 and will continue till September 1.