PERSEID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS WITH SPECTACULAR NIGHT DISPLAYS

Why in the news?

The annual Perseid meteor shower is reaching its peak, offering optimal viewing conditions from August 11-13, especially visible in the northern hemisphere during the early morning hours.

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS WITH SPECTACULAR NIGHT DISPLAYS - UPSCsource:researchgate

 About the Event Description:

  • The Perseid meteor shower began in July and will continue until late August, with peak visibility occurring between August 11 and 13.
  • The meteor shower can be observed with the naked eye, especially in the northern hemisphere, between midnight and dawn.
  • Visibility may be affected by local weather conditions.

Origin and Cause:

  • The Perseid meteors are remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which follows an elliptical orbit around the Sun, completing one revolution every 133 years.
  • As Earth passes through the debris left by Swift-Tuttle, its gravity pulls the particles towards the planet, creating the meteor shower.
  • Scientists in the 1990s initially feared that Swift-Tuttle could collide with Earth or the Moon around the year 2126 due to its 26 km-wide size, but later calculations confirmed that Earth is safe from impact for at least another 2,000 years.

Observation and Safety:

  • The Perseid meteor shower poses no threat to Earth, as most meteors burn up in the atmosphere.
  • Some meteors may produce small fireballs if they take a tangential path through the atmosphere.
  • During peak activity, the Perseid shower can produce over 60 meteors per hour, offering a spectacular display for observers.
About Perseid Meteor Shower:

Origin and Name:

  • The Perseid Meteor Shower is named after the Perseus constellation, from which it appears to originate.
  • Peaks annually in mid-August, making it one of the best and most anticipated meteor showers.

Characteristics:

  • Known for being swift and bright, with meteors leaving trails of light and colour as they move across the sky.
  • One of the most abundant meteor showers, with approximately 100 meteors visible per hour during its peak.

Special Features:

  • The Perseids are particularly noted for generating fireballs—large, bright bursts of light and colour.
  • Fireballs result from larger pieces of material from comets, creating more intense and prolonged visual effects.

Key Facts About Meteor Showers:

What is a Meteor?

  • A meteor is a space rock that enters Earth’s atmosphere and becomes hot due to friction with the air.
  • The bright streak seen during a meteor event is the heated air around the space rock, not the rock itself.

Meteor Shower:

  • A meteor shower occurs when multiple space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere simultaneously, creating a spectacle in the sky.
  • Meteors in a shower travel at incredible speeds, often reaching tens of thousands of kilometres per hour before disintegrating due to atmospheric friction.