Don’t miss the chance to see "falling stars" Perseids

The peak of the 2023 Perseid meteor shower falls on the night of August 13th. The Perseids are usually a spectacular sight, with 50 to 75 meteors an hour seen in the skies outside the city this year.

The 2023 Perseid Peak will occur right before the new moon, meaning the sky will be especially dark, perfect for observing.

Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are debris from a comet that once crossed Earth’s path. In this case, the rain is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet’s 133-year orbit passes beyond Pluto. It last crossed the solar system in 1992.

The meteor shower will be best seen in the sky from the northern hemisphere to mid-southern latitudes. Perseid meteors appear from the region of the night sky where the constellation Perseus is located. The best way to watch the meteor shower is in a place with dark skies, so it’s best to get out of the city.

Meteors are also known as shooting stars., but in fact they are not stars at all. Meteors arestreaks of light in the sky caused by dust and small pebbles and dust particles, which burn up in the Earth’s upper atmosphere into which they are introduced at very high speeds – tens of kilometers per second.

These small particles create bright streaks of light that can be seen from the ground at night. In general, the larger the piece of cosmic dust, the brighter the meteorite. Thus, on a typical night in a dark place, you can see up to 10 meteors per hour.

All you need to watch a meteor shower is your eyes, patience, and a virtually cloudless night. Go outside, get comfortable and look at the sky. Usually the best time to watch a meteor shower is between midnight and dawn, because that’s when you’re on the leading side of the Earth and watching comet debris “stream down on you” like raindrops hitting a car windshield.

The Perseids are a truly fantastic sight that will leave an unforgettable impression on you!