Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug 12-13

From the NWS in Cheyenne, Wyoming...
The annual Perseid meteor shower will reach it’s peak late in the evening Aug 12 into the early morning of August 13th. This years shower is forecast to be very good as the Moon will be in its new phase and thus will not adversely affect viewing. Skywatchers in areas of clear skies and away from city lights could see upwards of 100 meteors per hour. The Earth is now entering the outer fringes of the debris trail responsible for the meteor shower. Currently only a few Perseid meteors per hour are occurring, but this rate will increase to it’s expected peak Sunday night. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because the meteors will seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus. To see the show, simply find a comfortable spot facing the northeastern sky, away from any lights. Just scan the sky during the aforementioned time period. Do not use binoculars or a telescope as they will limit your field of vision too severely, and the meteors will move much too fast to follow with these instruments. Naked eye viewing is best.