Written by LeBert Sam | Updated: August 11, 2020 8:25:02 am
Click here to watch a live simulation of Perseid meteor shower
As our earth is passing through the path of Comet-Swift-Tuttle, the stellar dust of the comet will light up our night sky in the Perseus constellation as meteors. These specks of stellar dust from the comet are produced by its collision with other space debris.
Our earth entered the path of this comet on July 17 and it is expected to move away from the comet’s path on August 24. During this period of time, the debris from the comet is most likely to fall on earth which astronomers call ‘Meteor Shower’. Here, we have the Perseid meteor shower
From where does these fireballs come from?
Have you ever seen tiny trails of light coming from the night sky? Have you ever wondered where these little sparks originate? Until the development of modern science, our ancestors believed strongly that these lightning meteor show in the night sky were portentous.
With the advancement of science, we now have a possible explanation for the celestial event that has been happening right from the start. As our earth is passing through the path of Comet 109P/Swift Tuttle, the stellar dust of the comet will light up our night sky in the Perseus constellation as meteors. These specks of stellar dust from the comet are produced by its collision with other space debris.
Perseid meteor shower in India
The Perseid meteor shower is expected to be at its peak during August 12-13, this happens when the earth’s path gets closer to the comet’s path. A rate of 60 to 70 meteors can be seen during this peak time.
When and where to watch in India?
As the name suggests, the Perseid meteor shower can be seen in the constellation Perseus in the northern hemisphere. The constellation is expected to rise at 11:30 IST on August 12 and you can watch this till early morning.
All you need to do is look up at the northern sky where this constellation is located. Depending on the light pollution in your area, you can catch one meteor falling down in a minute. Like last year, the bright moon will also be in the night sky makes it difficult to watch the fireballs. Skywatchers usually prefer to watch this beautiful astronomical event from a remote place where light pollution is less. Don’t forget to set a reminder and lookup at this beautiful celestial event.
Why stargazers are worried about perseid meteor shower 2020?
Perseid meteor shower is the most popular annual celestial event. The moon was in its full phase during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower last year which affects the visibility greatly. However, the moon will just pass the quarter phase this year during peak time.
A word of advice from stargazers is that you should get to the nearest possible darkest place to watch this beautiful event clearly. If not, don’t worry! You can still lay down in your terrace and let your eyes adapt to the darkness for at least 30min so that you can watch more of the fireballs from the sky.
Click here to watch the live event on August 12, 04:00
Also read, World’s first Coronavirus vaccine to be launched by Russia on August 12
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