Meteor Shower to Reach Peak Showing
Beginning Wednesday, August 12 through August 13, the Perseid Meteor shower will reach its peak. According to NASA, the Perseids will have a peak potential of 100 meteors per hour on the nights of August 12-13, 2015. The Perseids are active from July 13 through August 26, this year. As the name implies, the Perseid radiant, or where the meteors appear to originate, is from the constellation Perseus, which for people in the United States can be found in the Northeastern sky. Best viewing times will likely be from midnight to pre-dawn hours on the 13th as the constellation Perseus moves higher above the horizon, but you should be able to view several at any hour after dark.
NASA further states that if you are to view only one meteor shower per year, then the Perseids or the Geminids in December are the ones to shoot for. Making the Perseids even more spectacular will be the lack of moon which will allow the meteors and their trains to be some of the brightest objects in the sky. Despite the lack of moon, you may want to venture away from city lights, as light pollution will still make dimmer meteors difficult to see.
Members of the Squatch Watch Gear team, including staff photographer John Sullivan, are planning on looking to those skies one of those nights, so check our social media feeds for pictures and be sure to share yours with us! We would love to see what you captured.
