WEST MICHIGAN — It’s that time of year again…when the annual Perseid meteors make a comeback. This fun, fabulous astronomical event are actually (in most cases) grains/specs of dust/ice from the trail and tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle. This year may actually be one of the best viewing opportunities in recent years. According to NASA, we may see an “outburst” in 2016! That means instead of only 80 to 100 of these streaking through the clouds per hour, it may be more on the order of 150 to 200.
We’ll need to compete with the moon early in the overnight hours. It’s not full, but it will cast some light in the nighttime sky, which will make it a bit more challenging to spot the meteors. While the Perseids occur August 10 – 13, they peak on the nights of the 11th and 12th. We may also have to dodge some hazy, variably cloudy skies with a cold front and low pressure system arriving.
Make sure to look in the northeast sky, preferably after midnight and away from city lights. The Perseids radiate from the actual constellation of Perseus…hence the name. Remember that metoroids are in space, meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere, and meteorites actual make it to the surface. Again, these are typically the size of a grain of sand. Amazing that something so small can generate such a noticeable trail darting through the sky. You can click herefor more information. Make sure to stay up on the latest West Michigan weather forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
