The year’s best meteor shower is coming this weekend

The annual Perseid meteor shower has begun, with Sunday and Monday marked as the peak period. If you’re lucky, you’ll see up to 70 meteors an hour during the evening and early morning.

The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the Swift-Tuttle comet. The point from which the meteors appear lies in the Perseus constellation, named after the Greek mythical hero. Perseus killed Medusa and claimed Andromeda after rescuing her from a plot by Poseidon.

Here’s footage of last year’s shower:

Viewing advice from a YouTube user:

The best “mornings” to watch will be August 11, 12, and 13…..between midnight and dawn in “your local time zone.” Find a dark site away from city lights. Get a sleeping bag or blanket, lay down on the ground with your legs/feet pointing toward the northeast. The constellation Perseus will be rising in the northeast before midnight. The radiant point of the meteor shower will be nearly overhead at dawn. No binoculars or telescope required….only your eyes. Enjoy!

And from the CBC:

2 Comments