Monday evening sees the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, the year’s most prolific and popular display of “shooting stars” in the northern hemisphere. Hopefully one of the astronomical highlights of 2024, it’s not too late to make plans.
Here’s what you need to know about when, where and how to see the Perseid meteor shower in 2024:
When Is The Perseid Meteor Shower?
In 2024, this meteor shower’s peak will occur late on Sunday, August 11 and into the early hours of Monday, August 12. Although you can look at any time during the hours of darkness, the best advice is to wait until the moon is down, around before midnight and in the hours following. Rates tend to peak in the hours before dawn.
What Is The Perseid Meteor Shower?
It’s an annual display of “shooting stars” caused by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Discovered in 1862 at the same time by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, according to NASA, Swift/Tuttle returns to the inner solar system every 133 years. However, during its trips, it melts a little as it gets close to the sun, shedding dust and debris that itself orbits the sun in streams or clouds. As Earth orbits the sun, it travels through various streams of comet debris, producing meteor showers—of which the Perseids are one of the most dense.
Meteors—“shooting stars”—are small pieces of rock or dust that burn up as they strike Earth’s atmosphere. Most are as small as a grain of sand.
Does The Perseid Meteor Shower Have A Peak?
The precise peak—when meteor activity is expected to be at its highest—is 04:00 Universal Time (UTC/GMT) on Tuesday, August 11, according to the American Meteor Society.
That’s these times for North America’s timezones:
- 12:00 a.m. (midnight) EDT on Monday, August 12.
- 11:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, August 11.
- 10:00 p.m. MDT on Sunday, August 11.
- 9:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 11.
However, since the rates of meteors are largely identical for about eight hours on either side of the peak, all you need to do is find a clear, dark sky between sunset on Sunday, August 11, and sunrise on Monday, August 12. It will also be worth looking after dark on Monday, August 12 through Tuesday, August 13.
Where And When To Look For The Perseid Meteor Shower
This is an all-sky event since “shooting stars” can appear anywhere at any time during the night, though the Society for Popular Astronomy recommends looking about 30-40 degrees away from the radiant point. The radiant point is the constellation Perseus, which will rise in the northeastern night sky, as seen from the northern hemisphere, after dark. It will be highest in the sky in the hours after midnight.
So if you’re only going to be outside for a few hours, center on 2 a.m. on Monday, August 12. That said, looking immediately after sunset may get you views of sudden “Earthgrazers,” meteors with long trains that appear to skim along the top of the atmosphere.
Best Places To See The Perseid Meteor Shower
Get away from light pollution or find a campsite or lodging in an International Dark Sky Place (U.S./worldwide), a Dark-Sky Preserve (Canada) or a Starlight Reserve (Spain). If that’s impossible, observe from somewhere without bright lights in your vision. If you choose to travel to a popular national park, don’t expect there to be empty roads, lots of parking and camping or lodging available. Try to choose somewhere lesser-known to avoid the crowds. After all, where there are humans, there is always light. You wan’t darkness.
Best Ways To See ‘Shooting Stars’
Watch as much of the sky as possible and develop your night vision. The latter takes about 30 minutes. Do not look at a smartphone screen (its white light instantly resets the clock on your night vision), and do not use a telescope or binoculars. The only equipment you need is your own naked eyes—though a lawn chair and blanket, or a hot tub, helps.
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Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
