Perseid Meteor Shower to Be At Peak Tonight

Tonight the Perseid Meteor Shower will be visible for the San Angelo community to see. Although the meteor shower began a few days ago, tonight and Friday night the meteors will be at their peak.

Dr. Kenneth Carrell, assistant professor of Physics and Director of the Angelo State Planetarium said, “This meteor shower actually is usually one of the best of the year. On a normal year, you can expect one [meteor] a minute during the peak time. But this year, [the shower] is supposed to be especially good. Most of the forecasts are putting [the meteors] at a two- to three-a-minute- type range.”

Since this meteor shower happens every year at the beginning of August, Dr. Carell advised “the best viewing [of the shower] will be midnight into pre-dawn.”

The darker the surroundings, the more noticeable the meteors will be.

“Tonight, tomorrow night and the next night are the best nights to view the [meteor shower]," Dr. Carrell noted. "[These nights] will be the most per minute that we will see.”

Dr. Carrell also explained, “The Perseids are caused by a comet called Swift-Tuttle. It passes through and has a really long orbit."

He added that the last time it came anywhere close to the inner solar system was a couple of decades ago. The meteors seen for this shower are particles flying through space. These particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere traveling at speeds that reach two to three miles per second.

“Occasionally, the Earth passes through that trail of debris, and that is what we see as meteor showers,” Dr. Carrell said.

Dr. Carrell added, “Meteor showers are normally caused by comets, so comets are passing in and out throughout the solar system; when they get close to the sun, they heat up and they leave a trail of debris behind them.”

The trail of debris is gathered in Jupiter’s orbit. Dr. Carrell explained there are certain years where there is more debris than usual.

"This year is predicted to be one of those years," he said. "It will be two to three times the normal rate this year because of the effect of Jupiter.”

Dr. Carrell said viewers will have to dedicate 30 minutes to an hour or more to go out and let their eyes adjust, look up at the sky and to see the meteors.

“This is a pretty cool thing, it’s not that common," he said. "This [shower] does happen every year, but it’s still something that is very memorable. You just have to take your time and enjoy the whole thing.”