The Perseid meteor shower is invariably the key event in August for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers. This year, due to the coincidence of a number of circumstances, this annual stellar show promises to be especially bright, eventful and spectacular.
According to NASA, at the peak moment the Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle (it will fall on the night of August 11-12), up to 200 meteors per hour can be observed in the starry sky. This is twice as much as usual, which is why NASA calls the current shower a real "meteorite explosion", which has not been observed since 2009.
The smallest dust particles of the comet's tail sweep through space at a speed of about 132 thousand miles per hour and, falling into the Earth's atmosphere, burn up, generating a bright flash of light. Since this year the Earth will be somewhat closer to the middle of the meteor shower, and not from the edge, as usual, more such flashes in the night sky can be observed more than usual.
However, NASA also took care of those who, weather conditions or any other reasons, will not allow to watch the Perseids live. To do this, on the official website of the NASA Space Flight Center named after Marshall from 22:00 North American Eastern Time (5:00 Moscow Time) on August 11, August 12, a live broadcast of the Perseids will be organized.
Meanwhile, these are not the only days when it will be possible to observe the meteor shower - the activity of meteors in the starry sky will not disappear at once, but will fade away gradually. Thus, you can enjoy this stellar show on any cloudless night until August 24, and in order to get maximum pleasure, experts advise you to follow a number of simple recommendations.