Phenomenon Supermoon Sturgeon is considered to be blocking the excitement of the Perseid meteor shower which will occur in two days on Thursday (11/8). There are several factors that discuss
Quoted Spacethe Perseid meteor shower, one of the most anticipated and popular night sky shows of the year, is likely to be eclipsed by August’s full moon, Supermoon Sturgeon.
The Perseids are one of the strongest meteor showers occurring annually between July 14 and September 1. This year, the meteor shower will reach its peak on August 12 and 13, which happens to coincide with the full moon, whose bright light may make it difficult to see meteors streaking across the night sky.
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“Unfortunately, this year’s Perseids peak will look the worst possible for scouts,” said Bill Cooke, NASA astronomer who heads the Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Bill said most people in North America typically see 50 or 60 meteors per hour, but this year, during the normal peak of meteor showers, the full moon phenomenon will reduce it to 10-20 meteors per hour.
The August full moon, also known as Sturgeon’s Moon, will peak on August 11 at 9:35 p.m. EDT, and will appear nearly full the night before and the night after its peak.
This phenomenon will be the last Supermoon appearance of the year, which occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. This means the Sturgeon Moon will appear slightly brighter than a regular full moon.
“The moon is much brighter than anything in the night sky, and it will wipe out everything but the brightest Perseids as they penetrate our atmosphere and burn high overhead,” according to a NASA statement.
The Perseids are caused by Earth passing through the debris, or chunks of ice and rock, left by Swift-Tuttle, the comet that last passed near Earth in 1992.
Comet Swift-Tuttle orbits the Sun every 133 years and will not cross our path again until 2125.
At about 26 kilometers wide, Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to have repeatedly passed Earth.
The Perseids meteor shower will start to slow down around August 21-22 and stop completely on September 1, the official website says NASA.
While this may not be the best year to see the peak of the Perseids, there’s still a chance to catch some “shooting stars” in the days leading up to or after August 12.
For those of you who want to watch it is recommended to find a dark lookout that is far from artificial light, between midnight and dawn is the best opportunity to see meteors.
(can/fea)
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