2007-08-12 18:48:43 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
They are called the Perseids, because the radiant (the point in the sky from which the meteors radiate outwards in all directions) is in the constellation of Perseus.
The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the greatest activity between August 8 and 14, peaking about August 12.
The Perseids have been known about for over 2,000 years, first being observed and recorded in the Far East.
They occur annually, and at the same time each year, because the earth enters the "meteor stream" of debris left behind by the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, at the same point in its annual journey round the Sun every year.
Swift-Tuttle only passes by earth once every 130 years, but the debris it leaves in its wake remains for hundreds of years untill it is all burned up by entering the earth's upper atmosphere. and appearing to our eyes as "falling stars" or meteor showers. And of course the debris is replenished by each successive passing of the Comet.
You could visualise this as coming across the confetti left behind on the ground (but never cleared up) by a wedding, long after the honeymooners have got back from their honeymoon and raised a family, and five generations of that family have been born and died. And then there is another wedding and another ton or two of confetti is strewn around liberally. ...
COMET SWIFT-TUTTLE
Comet Swift-Tuttle (formally designated as 109P/Swift-Tuttle) was independently discovered by Lewis Swift on July 16, 1862 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on July 19, 1862.
The comet made a return appearance in 1992, when it was rediscovered by Japanese astronomer Tsuruhiko Kiuchi.
It is the parent body of the Perseid meteor shower, perhaps the best known shower and also among the most reliable in performance.
2007-08-12 19:21:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've got to be kidding...sorry, it's so on the news. It's the Perseid meteor shower..we're going thru the dust left by the Swift-Tuttle comet for the next coupla days. Called the 'Perseid' because the point of origin (where the meteors seem to come from) is in constellation Perseus... just below Casseopeia which looks like a big sideways W...look east...it should rise about midnight. Hope the clouds disperse. Oh, yeah - it happens every year about this time. It's good this year cause the moon's new so moonlite doesn't interfere with viewing.
2007-08-12 19:00:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Perseids meteor shower is a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are so called because the point they appear to come from lies in the constellation Perseus. Meteor showers occur when Earth moves through a meteor stream. The stream in this case is called the Perseid cloud and it stretches along the orbit of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it passed by the Sun. Most of the dust in the cloud today is approximately a thousand years old. However, there is also a relatively young filament of dust in the stream that boiled off the comet in 1862. The Perseids have been viewed in August of every year for thousands of years. Hope you caught it!
2007-08-12 18:59:36 · answer #3 · answered by baciditosca 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Perseid. Annualy. July through late August. Usually peaks mid- month
As a rule, meteor showers are best viewed under clear, dark skies, from about one to three hours after midnight, local time.
2007-08-12 18:51:54 · answer #4 · answered by dollycritter 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the Perseid Meteor shower, its visible annually during August. Tonight is its peak this year.
2007-08-12 18:52:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As stated, every year. What make this one good is no moon tonight. I think it called a New Moon.
2007-08-12 18:52:48 · answer #6 · answered by Snaglefritz 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋