TAG | Western North America gets best shot for 2008 Perseid meteor shower |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Tuesday, 12 August 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 2 According to the 2008 Observer’s Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the ideal time to see the maximum number of Perseid (PER) meteors is at about 4 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Tuesday, August 12, 2008. Although the night of August 11 and the morning of August 12 (August 11/12) is set as the best time to see the Perseids, you should also get a good show of them on the next night, August 12/13. Additional information on the Perseid meteor shower is found on the iTWire article “Let earth-grazing show begin: 2008 Perseid meteor shower.” A few hours before 4 a.m. PST (1000 UTC), the Moon, in its waxing gibbous phase (first quarter, with its right side visible), will set beneath the horizon (between midnight and 1:30 a.m., depending on your location)—providing an ideal dark sky for the observations, at least until sunrise hits the western U.S. states and Canadian provinces. According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), "The 'traditional' maximum timing would be best-viewed from places in and around the northern Pacific Ocean, including the extreme west of North America west as far as extreme eastern Japan and China, assuming it happens as expected." So, prepare yourself for a good time watching these Perseid meteors streaking across the sky. They will be colliding with Earth’s atmosphere at about 37 miles (60 kilometers) per second, which produces the bright streaks of light seen traveling across our local skies. Up to 80 or so meteors per hour should be seen at their peak early in the morning of August 12, 2008. More information follows. |
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