Perseid meteor shower this weekend: how to get the best view | Stuart Clark
The Perseids, the year's most spectacular meteor shower for viewers in the northern hemisphere, arrives this weekendSend us your pictures with 'Perseids meteor shower' in the subject line – scroll to the end of the article for full detailsThe Perseid meteor display is upon us. Over the course of the next four days, Earth will plough through the debris stream left by a giant comet that has been circling the sun since the birth of the solar system. Each tiny cometary fragment that hits our atmosphere is usually no larger than a speck of dust. Yet it burns up with an incandescent display that we call a shooting star. If you want to get technical about it: a meteor.This year, the Perseids will be visible from the northern hemisphere between 11 and 14 August. If the clouds cooperate and the skies are clear this weekend, the prime times to watch...
Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science
More from The Guardian - Science
Related
- Western astronomers capture spectacular meteor footage and imagesWed, 7 Oct 2009, 11:46:34 EDT
- Did a 'forgotten' meteor have a deadly, icy double-punch?Wed, 19 Sep 2012, 11:35:19 EDT
- University of Western Ontario cameras capture 'fireball'Fri, 24 Oct 2008, 17:14:34 EDT
- Catching solar particles infiltrating Earth's atmosphereThu, 31 May 2012, 21:21:05 EDT
- Comet particles provide glimpse of solar system's birth spasmsMon, 17 Nov 2008, 9:36:20 EST