Perseid meteor shower to peak this week

The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak this week, with the densest display visible from midnight until dawn on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, ERR reports. Under ideal conditions, observers could see 50 to 100 meteors an hour. Estonia will also see a partial solar eclipse that evening.

This year, August nights will offer an unusual spectacle, with a rare six-planet parade, a solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower occurring around the same time. The shower will peak overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

Expectations in Estonia should be lower because of local conditions. The shower’s radiant, or the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate, remains relatively high above the horizon. At the same time, nights in Estonia are still not completely dark, with astronomical twilight lasting throughout the night. As a result, observers in Estonia will mainly see the brighter flashes and larger fireballs, known as bolides.

Move away from light pollution

In astronomical terms, so-called shooting stars are actually cosmic debris. Each year, Earth passes through regions of its orbit where comets or asteroids have left large clouds of dust. These small particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at enormous speed, begin to evaporate because of the extremely high temperatures and create the streaks of light familiar to observers.

The Perseids are caused by comet 109P Swift-Tuttle, a huge icy dustball that orbits the Sun once every 133 years. The celestial body will not come near Earth again until 2125. Humanity has admired the comet’s dusty trail in the sky for more than 2,000 years.

The Perseids are considered the most anticipated meteor shower of the year for several reasons. They are known for very bright flashes, or fireballs, and warm summer weather makes observing them more comfortable than watching meteor showers on cold winter nights. This year’s conditions are also particularly favourable because the Moon will be new at the time of the peak, so meteors will not have to compete with reflected moonlight.

For the best viewing experience, observers should go outside after darkness falls. Light pollution brightens the sky and hides fainter flashes. Scientists therefore recommend finding a place with clear skies away from city lights.

The densest display will be visible from midnight until dawn on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. Human eyes need time to adapt to darkness, so astronomers recommend allowing at least 30 minutes for adjustment and avoiding all sources of light during that time. Even briefly looking at a bright screen can immediately undo the adaptation.

For focused viewing, it is best to lie on your back. Astronomer Zach Vanderbosch of the McDonald Observatory in Texas recommends choosing one part of the sky and keeping your gaze fixed there. Once the eyes have adapted to the darkness, they can detect a rapid flash even in the corner of the eye.