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The Perseids, considered the best meteor shower of the year, will peak Wednesday evening and Thursday before dawn.
With the crescent moon setting early, the sky above Earth will be dark for what NASA says is rush hour between midnight local time and dawn on August 12.
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While viewing will be best in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere will see a few Perseids without any visible below about 30 degrees south latitude, the agency said.
Visibility also decreases due to light pollution, and maximum Perseid rates in cities are only one or two per hour.
Elsewhere, under dark skies, sky watchers could see nearly one per minute near the hour of peak activity, and up to 40 Perseids per hour.
Those who watch from their quarters, with brighter skies, are likely to see one every six to seven minutes.
The Perseids occur when Earth passes through the flow of debris from Comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle and its meteors – most of which are the size of a pea – create bright “shooting stars” as they burn in the air. atmosphere of the planet.
These meteors have appeared in Earth’s night sky since mid-July, with the first spotted July 26.
The Perseids appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, or the “beaming” of the shower, but they can be seen crossing the sky anywhere at a speed of 37 miles per second.
In this 30-second exposure taken with a circular fisheye lens, a meteor crosses the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower on Friday August 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.
(NASA / Bill Ingalls)
Meteor shower is also known for its fireballs, which can last longer than an average meteor streak.
If interested parties miss the Perseids on the night of August 11-12, the following night will also be a good opportunity to see the heavenly event and observers are advised to allow their eyes time to adjust to the darkness.
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Additionally, NASA’s Meteor Watch hosts a live broadcast of the Perseids on the night of August 11 from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. CT and plans to try again at the same time on the night of August 12 if the sky is cloudy.
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