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ILLINOIS – If you can catch only one meteor shower this year, it should be the Perseids. They are crossing the sky at this time, and will peak during the night of August 11 to 12 and August 12 to 13. If you can see it in Illinois depends on the weather, of course, but all the signs indicate a spectacular show during peak dates, as the moon will only be a thin crescent ribbon.
years, the Perseids produce about 60-70 meteors per hour, and they are usually rich in fireballs. In the years of overflow, as in 2016, the rate can more than double to reach about 150 to 200 meteors per hour.
For the best views, find a dark sky. It can be your backyard if you live in a rural area; others may need to be a little creative. If your state has dark skies, plan to go there. If you are in a major metropolitan area – including New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle and Washington, DC – you can still find areas conducive to meteorite observation .
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Bill Cooke, a NASA meteorite scientist, says extravagant statements often accompany celestial events, including a final year in which the Perseids would be the "most brilliant shower of human history." and that the meteors could be visible during the day. Although dizzying, the Perseids never reach storm levels of thousands of meteors at the hour, said Cooke, noting that the Perseids' best performance dates back to 1993, when they were flying at higher speeds. 300 meteors per hour.
But that should not tarnish your meteor observing plans at all.
While the two nights of the summit will be spectacular, wait until August 12 and 13 for the best meteor shower in 2018, says Cooke. Meteors start flying after midnight and continue until dawn.
"This year the moon will be near the new moon, it will be a crescent, which means that it will fold before the start of the Perseid show after midnight". Space.com. "The moon is very favorable to the Perseids this year, and it will probably make the Perseids the best rain of 2018 for people who want to go out and see it."
SEE ALSO: 2018 Guide To Meteor Showers, Other Celestial Events
The Perseids, which take place every year from July 17 to August. 24, are produced when the Earth crosses the dust left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, discovered in 1862. The spike occurs when the Earth crosses the densest and darkest area
The debris warms up when they enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn in a glowing light as they travel across the sky at around 37 miles per second. Most meteors are about the size of a grain of sand, so there is little chance that we will descend to Earth as a meteorite.
Meteors fall between the constellations Perseus and Cbadiopeia, but you only have to look up. able to see them from anywhere in the sky.
Be ready to sit outside for a few hours. The more you look, the more you will see. It will take about half an hour for your eyes to adapt to the darkness. Make sure to take a comfortable camp chair, or maybe even a blanket so you can lie on the floor and have a panoramic view.
While you wait for the Perseids, you should be able to see Mars until 4 o'clock. I am local time and Saturn, which will be visible until about 2 am local time. Venus and Jupiter both stopped at the Perseids' prime time, respectively at 9:30 pm and 11 pm
Image: A Perseid meteor flies over the sky above Inspiration Point early August 12, 2016, at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The annual show, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors seem to radiate from the Perseus constellation in the northeast sky, is the result of the Earth's orbit pbading through the debris of the Swift-Tuttle comet. (Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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