The Perseid meteor shower, which saw it’s peak Sunday night, is famous for its annual appearance, and officials said this year is no different. It’s not too late to see some of this show, as the shower is expected to continue throughout the rest of the week.
Pamela Clark, Director of the Star Theater at Morehead State University, said the meteors can be easily located, even for beginners.
“The name of these constellations is based on the point of origin. So, it’s in the constellation Perseus. So, if you use your planisphere you can find out where the constellation Perseus should be and look in that direction. And then from, basically all night, it’s one of the best meteor showers of the year. If you’ve got clear enough sky, and a dark enough sky here around Morehead, you’ll be able to see a lot of shooting stars,” said Clark.
Clark said meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year Earth passes through this debris, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.
She said these meteors in particular are notable for leaving long “wakes” of light and color behind them as they journey through Earth’s atmosphere.
“The one in November also is good. There are a lot of shooting stars in November, as well. So those are the two times of the year really in particular. Although there are other ones as well, and they can vary a lot from year to year, comets are kind of unpredictable, and these are the remnants of comets basically,” said Clark.
Clark said the best time to view the Perseids will be during the pre-dawn hours, though at times people may be able to see meteors from this shower as early as 10 p.m. According to officials, it is possible to view meteors 50 to 100 times per hour.