Have you noticed a few falling stars lately? It might surprise you, but there are two meteor showers going on now: the Delta Aquarids and the Perseids.
The Delta Aquarids started on July 12 and will run through August 23. That overlaps with the Perseids Meteor Shower, which started on July 17 and will run until August 24. The peak viewing period of the Delta Aquarids has passed, but the peak viewing period for the Perseids will come up on the night of Tuesday, August 12.
What, exactly, is a meteor?
Meteors, of course, are not really falling stars. They are produced by bits of comet material passing through the earth’s atmosphere. Comets are mixtures of ice, rock, and dust a few miles in diameter, and are often described as “dirty snowballs.” When they pass near the sun, the heat causes the comet to shed ice and other material. These mostly sand-sized pieces of ice and rock create a debris field in outer space. So, when the earth passes through these debris fields, the pieces collide with the atmosphere and become glowing hot. Viewed from earth, they appear to be “falling stars” but are more accurately called meteors.
How are meteor showers named?
Meteor showers are named according to their radiant, or the point from which they appear to originate. So, the Delta Aquarids will appear to originate in the constellation Aquarius while the Perseids will appear to originate in the constellation Perseus. However, the meteors can be observed anywhere in the sky.
Full moon interference
There is a full moon coming up on August 9, with the new moon not coming until August 23. So, the moonlight will be interfering with the viewing.
But the Perseids are considered to be one of the better meteor showers, with perhaps up to 60 meteors per hour. Combine that with the Delta Aquarids running through August 23, and it could make for some good sky watching.
So, you might want to check out the nighttime sky occasionally over the next couple weeks. And while you are at it, bring along a star chart and learn a new constellation or two. And seeing all the satellites and airplanes up there makes for an interesting side show.
