Perseid Meteor Shower


 Tonight begins peak viewing time for the Perseid Meteor Shower, specifically between midnight and dawn Thursday morning.  This year we have just a crescent moon, so not too much brightness to interfere.

The showers happen every year in August as Earth passes through the stream of Comet Swift-Tuttle.

It is the largest solar system object to pass by so close repeatedly, but astronomers know its orbit well by now, "well enough to say we are safe from an impact for many thousands of years."


Cometary crumbs slam into our atmosphere, causing the fragments to glow as shooting stars.

The McDonald Observatory in Texas will be sharing a live feed with a live chat for questions.


There will be other live streams as well from various locations, including Arizona, New York, and Rome.


Space

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