The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is visible annually from mid- July to late August. The Perseids are one of the most impressive showers with about 50 to 100 meteors visible per hour. This shower is renowned for its fireballs. The word ‘Perseids’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Perseides’ which refers to Perseus’ descendants. This year, the peak is predicted for August 12, at 14:00 UTC. This implies that the mornings of August 11, 12 and 13 will be the best days to delight your eyes with the spectacle. In addition, although the moon will be 50% illuminated during the peak of the Perseids this year, it will set around midnight, providing dark skies until morning- ideal for meteor watching!
Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate. As per NASA, the Perseids’ radiant (the location in the sky from where the Perseids appear to come) is in the Perseus constellation. In ancient Greek star lore, Perseus is said to be the son of the Lord Zeus and Danaë. It was believed that the Perseid shower commemorates the time when Zeus visited Danaë in a shower of gold. In some Catholic traditions, the Perseids is also known as ‘the tears of St Lawrence’, due to its peak roughly coinciding with the date the Saint achieved martyrdom. The Perseids are also associated with the god Priapus, who was believed by the Romans to have fertilized the fields by ejaculating on them once a year on the date the shower peaks.
However, the Perseid meteor shower is actually caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet itself was discovered independently by two astronomers- Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862. Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed near Earth in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126 (approximately every 133 years). In 1865, Giovanni Schiaparelli realized that this comet was actually the source of the Perseid meteor shower. When you enjoy a meteor shower, you’re actually seeing the pieces of comet debris heat up as they enter the atmosphere and burn up in a vibrant burst of light, streaking a vivid path across the sky. The 1993 showers stood out for avid stargazers, due to the frequency of meteors that brightened the sky (up to 300 meteors every hour). As per reports, the year 2111 is predicted to have a meteor shower of the same capacity as 1993.
So find yourself a dark corner and sit back to enjoy the awe striking patterns painted by this meteor shower across the canvas of the sky.