Let earth-grazing show begin: 2008 Perseid meteor shower

By William Atkins
Wednesday, 06 August 2008 20:20

Science - Space

Friday, August 8 to Thursday, August 14, 2008 is the approximate dates for skygazers on Earth to see the Perseids at its best. Skygazers will get a great chance to see the Earth-grazing meteors of the Perseids!


Actually, the meteors of the Perseids will be observable from July 17 to August 24, 2008, but the August 8th to the 14th time frame is considered the better time to see them.

And, the time to see the greatest numbers of meteors per hour is predicted to be the night of Monday, August 11 to the morning of Tuesday, August 12.

Specifically, on Monday, August 11, 2008 begin your observations at about 9 p.m. (local time). A few hours later, on Tuesday morning, is the time being touted as the peak for the Perseid meteor shower.

In fact, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning (local time), the first-quarter Moon will move beneath the horizon, allowing for a very dark morning sky—a perfect time to see the Perseids.

During its peak, the number of meteors per hour is expected to be over sixty. The Perseids are primarily seen in the Northern Hemisphere, but parts of it will also be visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to Bill Cooke (NASA Meteoroid Environmental Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Allabama, U.S.A., "The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th. There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute." [7/22/2008 NASA news release “The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower"]

He adds, "Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," [SpaceDaily.com: “The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower”]

NASA has provided a sky map of the night sky for skygazers. See page two for additional information.