If you’ve been holding onto a wish, waiting for a shooting star, the week of August 8th to 14th is probably a sure bet! Intense streaks of light caused by small bits of interplanetary rocks and debris will be burning across the early morning sky.
This stellar light show is courtesy of the 2008 Perseid meteor shower, and fortunately for those of us living in the northern hemisphere we’ve got the best seat in the house. Stargazers looking up to the sky may see dozens of meteors per hour. The ideal time to view the Perseids will be from 2:00 a.m. (after the moon sets) until dawn, on August 12th.
The Perseid meteor shower is among one of the most reliable astronomy events in history, and has been observed for about 2,000 years. Every year the Earth passes through the Perseid cloud which stretches along the orbit of the Comet Swift –Tuttle. The Perseid cloud includes dust, ice and rock that was ejected from the comet, and that debris enters Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high rates of speed; sometimes travelling as fast as 216,000 km per hour.
The meteors burn up and are usually completely vaporized about 100 km above Earth’s atmosphere.
Science North will be hosting three free star parties on August 11th, 12th and 13th, for anyone who would like to learn more about the Perseid meteor shower or about other interesting things to observe in our night sky. These star parties will take place on the Marketplace at Science North from 10 p.m. to midnight, weather permitting.
Interested individuals should call the Science North Star Party Hotline at
522-3701 ext. 243, after 6 p.m. on the night of the event, to get more details.
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