Diamonds in the Sky: The 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower
Diamonds in the Sky: The 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower
Sputnik International
From time to time, we are treated to displays of stunning natural phenomena. The most popular meteor shower, known as the Perseids, is currently in the full... 15.08.2017, Sputnik International
From time to time, we are treated to displays of stunning natural phenomena. The most popular meteor shower, known as the Perseids, is currently in the full swing. It has recently reached its peak, which started on the night of August 12 and lasted until the early morning hours of August 13.
Every year, the Perseids grace the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere from around July 17 to August 24. This spectacular sight occurs because our planet happens to cross the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the source of the debris that cause the Perseid meteor shower. The bits and pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth's upper atmosphere at some 210,000 kilometers per hour, lighting up the nighttime with fast-moving meteors.
This year, the Perseid meteor shower was in its most active phase between August 12, 1:00 PM (GMT), and August 13, 1:30 AM. Photo: Sky observed in Krasnodar Territory, Russia, during the Perseid meteor shower on August 12.
Up to 150 meteors could be seen swishing through the sky per hour under ideal conditions for observation, according to the International Meteor Organization. Photo: A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky above medieval tombstones during the Perseid meteor shower in Radimlja near Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on August 13.
The bright moon in the north-eastern region of the sky on the night of August 12 “outshined” the Perseid meteor shower this year. Photo: A couple of sky-gazers enjoy the Perseid meteor shower on August 12 near Comillas, Cantabria community, northern Spain.
The Perseids’ name came from the constellation Perseus: the point from which they appear to hail lies in this group of stars. The meteor shower has been known to mankind for about 2,000 years – it was mentioned for the first time in the Chinese historical chronicles, dating from the year 36 AD. Photo: Sky observed in Krasnodar Territory, Russia, during the Perseid meteor shower on August 12.
In Europe, the Perseids were referred to as the "Tears of St. Lawrence" due to Italy’s festival of St. Lawrence, which falls on August 10, the most active period of the meteor shower. Photo: A couple of sky-gazers enjoy the Perseid meteor shower on August 12 near Comillas, Cantabria community, northern Spain.
It is officially considered that the annual sky “show” was discovered by Belgian mathematician, astronomer and meteorologist Adolphe Quetelet, who identified the shower as emanating from the constellation Perseus in August 1835. Then, the maximum number of meteors per hour reached 160. Photo: A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky above Leeberg hill during the Perseid meteor shower in Grossmugl, Austria, on August 13.
The Perseids activity is unstable from year to year; it weakens as the distance between the comet and the Earth increases. Photo: A couple of sky-gazers enjoy the Perseid meteor shower on August 12 near Comillas, Cantabria community, northern Spain.
The next time our planet passes through an unusually dense clump of comet rubble is expected in 2028, experts from the Moscow Planetarium stated. Photo: Sky observed in Krasnodar Territory, Russia, during the Perseid meteor shower on August 12.
The best place to watch the Perseids’ “summer performance” is away from city lights. To observe the meteor shower, no telescopes or other astronomical instruments are required. Photo: A meteor streaks past stars as people stand around a telescope during the Perseid meteor shower at Migra l-Ferha, outside the town of Rabat, Malta, on early August 13.
It is believed that meteor showers have a very favorable effect on human energy. It is also customary to make wishes during the stargazing. Photo: Sky observed in Krasnodar Territory, Russia, during the Perseid meteor shower on August 12.
A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over the statues of a man and a boy, a monument dedicated to forest rangers, during the annual Perseid meteor shower at the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park between El Burgo and Ronda, Spain, on August 13.
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