The Perseid meteor shower is a breathtaking celestial event that captivates sky-watchers every year. Occurring between mid-July and late August, this annual spectacle peaks between August 11 and 13, offering the chance to see up to 60 meteors per hour, or even more.
Named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to originate (also referred to as the radiant), the Perseid meteor shower is one of the most anticipated astronomical events.
The meteor shower is caused by Earth passing through the debris field left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. This comet, which has a 133-year orbit around the sun, last visited the inner solar system in 1992. As Earth moves through the trail of dust and particles shed by the comet, these tiny fragments enter our atmosphere. The friction from this entry causes them to heat up and glow, creating the beautiful streaks of light we see as meteors. This meteor shower is not just known for its high frequency of meteors but also for the potential to see fireballs. These larger explosions of light and colour can be brighter and more dramatic than a typical meteor, making the Perseids a particularly exciting event for both amateur and experienced astronomers.
Another yearly, albeit less well-known, meteor shower that also has a good potential for such fireballs is the Geminid meteor shower, peaking around mid-December.
This year’s observation conditions are particularly favourable
To get the best view of the Perseid meteor shower, it is advisable to find a location away from city lights with a clear view of the sky, a task that has become more challenging in recent years due to a rapid increase in light pollution. The peak viewing times are in the pre-dawn hours when the radiant point in the constellation Perseus is high in the sky.
The Astronomical Society of Malta will, as in previous years, once more host an observation night for the Perseid meteor shower on August 12 at Migra l-Ferha, Rabat. This year’s observation conditions are particularly favourable, with a half moon slightly interfering with visibility before midnight, when the Perseid radiant is yet to reach a high point in the sky. This means that provided that there are no clouds on the night, observation conditions should be ideal for Perseid meteor spotting!
Connor Sant Fournier is currently reading for a PhD in astronomy at the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta while also serving as president for the Astronomical Society of Malta. Josef Borg completed a PhD in astronomy at the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, University of Malta, and is currently a post-doctoral researcher in space bioscience at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Malta.
Sound Bites
• JWST discovers a Super-Jupiter, its first directly imaged exoplanet: Using JWST, astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet; a gas giant they’ve named Eps Ind Ab. The newly discovered world is much colder than any gas giant studied by JWST to date as well; a super-Jupiter orbiting its star with a separation comparable to the distance of Neptune from the sun.
For more soundbites listen to Radio Mocha every Saturday at 7.30pm on Radju Malta and the following Monday at 9pm on Radju Malta 2 https://www.fb.com/RadioMochaMalta/.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The Perseid meteor shower is not only one of the most prolific meteor showers but also one of the oldest known: Historical records indicate that the Perseids have been observed for nearly 2,000 years, with the earliest known records coming from Chinese astronomers in 36 AD. They described the meteors as “more than 100 falling stars”. This rich history adds a layer of wonder to the annual event, connecting modern sky-watchers with ancient civilisations who marvelled at the same celestial display.
• Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent body of the Perseid meteor shower, is the largest object known to repeatedly pass close to Earth: Its nucleus is approximately 26 kilometres in diameter, nearly double the size of the object believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Despite its size, the comet’s path is well understood, and it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future. Its next close approach will be in 2126, but it will safely pass at about 22 million kilometres (14 million miles).
For more trivia, see: www.um.edu.mt/think.