Perseid Meteor Shower 2021: How to Visualize the Celestial Event

[ad_1]

The meteor shower will peak from midnight on August 11 to dawn on August 13, but will actually run from July 23 to August 22, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Because the crescent moon will set early, the sky will be particularly dark, making it an optimal viewing opportunity, according to NASA.

Astronomers in the northern hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing meteors than those in the southern hemisphere, NASA said.

According to NASA, up to 40 meteors will be available per hour for people whose viewing locations in the northern hemisphere are far from light pollution. Your chances drop dramatically to just a few per hour if you’re trying to see a meteor shower in a city.

People living around 30 degrees south latitude in the southern hemisphere will not be able to see the shower at all, NASA added, and those above the line in the southern hemisphere will only be able to see a few meteors per hour. .

For the best viewing chances, give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the night sky, according to EarthSky. Allow at least an hour to see the sky as meteors arrive in waves, they added.

The fragments come from the comet known as comet Swift-Tuttle, also known as comet 109P, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun, NASA said.

There are more meteor showers than you can catch during the rest of 2021, according to EarthSky’s 2021 Meteor Showers guide:

October 8: Draconids

October 21: Orionides

November 4-5: Southern Taurids

November 11-12: Taurides du Nord

November 17: Leonids

December 13-14: Geminids

December 22: Ursides

Solar and lunar eclipses

This year there will be another solar eclipse and another lunar eclipse, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

November 19 will see a partial lunar eclipse, and sky watchers in North America and Hawaii will be able to see it between 1 a.m.ET and 7:06 a.m.ET.

The year will end with a total solar eclipse on December 4. It won’t be visible in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and southeast Australia will be able to spot it.

Visible planets

Sky watchers will have multiple opportunities to spot the planets in our skies on certain mornings and evenings throughout 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac planetary guide.

Hubble captures stunning image of squabbling galaxies

Most of them can be seen with the naked eye, with the exception of distant Neptune, but binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view.

Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from October 18 to November 1. It will shine in the night sky from August 31 to September 21 and from November 29 to December 31.

Venus, our closest neighbor in the solar system, will appear in the western sky at dusk in the evening until December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky, after the moon.

Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31 and will be visible in the evening sky until August 22.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be on display in the morning sky until August 19. Look for it on the evening of August 20 through December 31. From the beginning of August, it is at its peak until September 2.

A Stargazing Guide for Beginners (CNN Underscored)

Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye in the evening until December 31. She was at her peak for the first four days of August.

Binoculars or a telescope will help you spot Uranus’ greenish glow in the morning through November 3 and in the evening from November 4 through December 31. It will be at its peak between August 28 and December 31.

And our furthest neighbor in the solar system, Neptune, will be visible through a telescope in the morning through September 13 and in the evening from September 14 through December 31.

It is at its peak between July 19 and November 8.

[ad_2]

Source link