The spectacular annual shower of Perseid meteors peaked on the night of August 11th. It was a year where about 200 meteors lit up the sky every hour, the year being the most active.

The Perseids are seen as the Earth passes through the trail left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Meteors are so named because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, the savior, in Greek mythology, of Andromeda (whose constellation is slightly west of Perseus), who in turn is the daughter of Cassiopeia (slightly to the north).

The particles entered Earth's atmosphere at speeds of more than 200,000 km/h and evaporated at an altitude of about 100 km, producing bright streaks of light as they streaked across the sky, with larger fragments creating fireballs that sometimes exploded.

This year's pattern peaked at the beginning, the peak was more impressive, from 60-100 per hour; Jupiter's gravitational pull brought several meteor showers together so that the Earth passed through them simultaneously. Meteors continued to arrive for several days. Perseus's position in the sky means the northern hemisphere will be visible at its best. Cloudless, rural skies are best for optimal viewing, ideally with some patience, a blanket or two and a flask of coffee or something stronger.

Here is a selection of images from the Perseid meteor shower, captured around the world.

The Perseids are perhaps the most famous meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere. There are several reasons for this. This is also a convenient time for observation, because these meteors reach their maximum activity in mid-August, when darkness sets in relatively early, but the nights are still warm and convenient for late walks in the open air. At the same time, the Perseids are a fairly stable meteor shower, meaning that during maximum activity the number of falling meteors rarely drops below 60 per hour. For comparison, another relatively stable shower, the Lyrids, rarely has more than 18 meteors per hour, while the Orionids, for example, produce about 25 meteors. This is probably why we remember the August meteor shower specifically when it comes to meteors.

Typically, a meteor shower is named after the constellation in which its radiant is located. Due to the effect of perspective, the trajectories of cosmic particles moving along almost parallel trajectories towards an observer on Earth will intersect in a small area in the sky. This region, which appears to be the source of the shower's meteors, is called the radiant.

For example, the Leonid radiant is in the constellation Leo, and the Perseids is in Perseus.

True, sometimes the stream is named after the star closest to the radiant.

The Perseid shower has been known for about 2 thousand years. It is first mentioned in a Chinese chronicle dating back to 36 AD. “More than a hundred meteors flashed in the morning,” wrote an ancient observer. The Perseids are also mentioned in Japanese and Korean sources of the 8th-11th centuries, and in Europe this meteor shower was called “Tears of St. Lawrence”, since the feast of St. Lawrence, which is held in Italy, falls during the most active period of the meteor shower. However, the Belgian mathematician, astronomer and meteorologist Adolf Ketele, who reported his observations in 1835, is officially considered the discoverer of the annual August starfall.

The first researcher to calculate the average number of meteors per hour was Edward Hayes. For a long time, the activity of the meteor shower was not very high and fluctuated between 40-90 meteors per hour, but after 1858 the Perseids became more active. For example, in 1863, 215 meteors were recorded per hour. At the same time, the reason for this increase was discovered. In mid-July 1862, American scientists Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle discovered a beautiful new comet, which was named the Swift-Tuttle comet. For the rest of the summer it was clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The comet reached its maximum brilliance in the last week of August. And when observed through a telescope, unusual structures were visible - luminous misty streams radiating from the dense nucleus of the comet, like the petals of a flower.

Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle was recognized as one of the ten most beautiful comets of the 19th century.

In 1867, the famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (by the way, the same one who discovered the Martian canals) announced that the orbit of the newly discovered comet almost coincides with the calculated orbit for several Perseid meteoroids. This is how the idea emerged that meteor showers were associated with certain comets. This explained the increased activity of August meteors in the 60s of the 19th century. The fact is that due to the influence of solar radiation at the perihelion of the comet’s orbit, they intensively lose matter. Calculations show: the smaller the size of the comet particle, the easier it is to overcome gravity and begin its journey through the solar system. However, the speed of ejection of cometary material is much less than the speed of the parent comet. It is not enough for the ejected dust particles to scatter in different directions. As a result, they form a thick plume of particles, sometimes several hundred thousand or even millions of kilometers across. When the Earth crosses such a trail, meteors—particles of cometary material burning up in the atmosphere—flare up in the upper atmosphere. The flash occurs at an altitude of about 100 km, so that each meteor is visible from the surface of the planet over a large area.

Comet Swift-Tuttle makes one revolution around the Sun in about 133 years. It has a fairly large core with a diameter of 26 km. Let us recall that the famous comet 67P / Churyumov - Gerasimenko, near which the Rosetta automatic interplanetary station is now operating, has a much smaller core - only 4 km in diameter. The next time after its discovery, Comet Swift-Tuttle returned in 1992. Therefore, the Perseids were very active in the 1990s. Within an hour, hundreds of meteors flashed across the earth's sky, and there were many very bright shooting stars.

As the comet moved to the outskirts of the Solar System, Perseid activity gradually decreased until it returned to its normal rate of about 60 meteors per hour.

At the same time, the stream remains one of the most stable and beautiful, but the former abundance of shooting stars, which many remember from childhood, is no longer there. Especially if you try to make observations near large urban centers, where the night sky is never dark enough.

But the Perseids can still bring surprises. In normal years, the meteor shower appears to be outside the Earth's orbit at some distance. But periodically, under the influence of the gravity of the giant planets, this distance can change. In 2016, a section of the stream will pass near the Earth, disturbed by the gravitational influence of Jupiter and shifted closer to the Earth's orbit. According to forecast International Meteor Organization (IMO), the number of meteors will reach 150 per hour! Not a shower of stars, of course, but significantly more than in previous years. Moreover, on the night of August 12, the Earth will pass within a very short distance of two plumes of particles ejected by the comet during the flybys of 1479 and 1862.

Particles from both plumes will most likely overlap each other, which will also slightly increase the activity of the stream as a whole.

The maximum activity of the meteor shower will occur on the night of August 13th. But you can start observing now. According to IMO, The Perseids are increasingly entering the earth's atmosphere. It is best to make observations on the night of August 12th and 13th. Observing meteors is just that rare case in astronomy when we do not need any additional instruments. Binoculars and spotting scopes limit your field of vision and will actually only get in the way. You just need to choose a place for observation that is located away from bright light sources and provides a sufficiently large view of the sky. It may be in a field, on a hill, on a large forest edge, or on the shore of a lake. In the city, you can go to a park or a vacant lot. And when using a camera on a tripod, you can get beautiful pictures of the starry sky with many meteors.

What are Perseids?

This is a meteor shower, a phenomenon that occurs when a swarm of meteoroids burns in the Earth's atmosphere. It can be compared to driving a car in rainy weather, when drops crash into the windshield - just like comet dust particles crash into the Earth's atmosphere at high speed. A meteor should not be confused with a meteorite - a cosmic body that fell to the surface of the Earth.

Despite the name “starfall,” nothing actually falls from the sky; the Perseids are tiny dust particles of comet Swift-Tuttle burning in the atmosphere. This phenomenon repeats annually during the period when the Earth is in the region of its orbit in which it intersects with meteor showers.

What is special about this starfall?

Perseids 2016

From year to year the flow varies in intensity. In 2018, they promise from 80 to 110 meteors per hour - this is slightly less than last year, but reality may differ from the forecast in any direction. Of course, other meteor showers are visible throughout the year, but the Perseid meteor shower, which occurs in warm August, is best observed. And on the night of August 13, the Moon will not illuminate the sky.

Do I need to look for a telescope?

Contrary to popular belief, optical instruments are not needed to observe starfalls. On the contrary, it can and should be observed with the naked eye. Binoculars will come in handy if you decide to view the Andromeda galaxy and the moons of Jupiter. Meteors can also be photographed: leave the camera at a slow shutter speed, and you will get particle tracks against the background of the starry sky.

Where should you watch the starfall?

Perseids 2016

Within the city limits, the starfall is practically invisible. And on the outskirts, not all meteors will appear to the eye, only the brightest. Therefore, it is best to stock up on hot tea, travel 30–40 km outside the city and find an open area. Then, if astronomers’ expectations are justified, 60–80 meteors can be seen per hour. The further away you are from populated areas, the less light pollution there is - and the more shooting stars you can see.

Bring a blanket or cot, because it is most comfortable to observe the phenomenon while lying down: your neck will not become stiff, and you will be able to see better. While standing or sitting, you need to look in the direction opposite to the radiant - this is the name of the point from which meteor particles supposedly fly out. In fact, they are flying in parallel, but it seems to us that they are flying from this point.

Where can I find radiant?

Planetarium stellarium (free software). Perseid shower radiant

The radiant of the Perseid stream is located in the constellation Perseus, it is easy to find it in the sky to the right of the Big Dipper, below the constellation Cassiopeia - the very letter W in the sky.

Why do you need to watch the starfall?

Romance, aesthetic pleasure, scientific interest, after all. This is also a unique opportunity to see how our planet moves, because meteor shower is the consequences of the contact of the Earth and a comet. So grab your friends, thermoses of tea, blankets and feel the sky getting closer.

It will be possible to meet with astronomer Igor Tirsky at the festival at lectures and master classes as part of the educational program.

Perseids 2016: where, when and how to watch the starfall in Russia, astronomers told.

The colorful meteor shower from the Perseid shower is approaching its peak these days, and, according to experts, this year's meteor shower in August 2016 will be almost twice as strong as usual.

Starfall in August 2016 VIDEO

To observe the Perseid meteor shower this night, Senior Researcher at the Pulkovo Observatory Sergei Smirnov said that to observe the Perseid meteor shower on the night of August 12-13, 2016, it is better to go to an open area outside the city, and the optimal time for observation is from midnight to mid-night nights.

“It’s best to look further from the cities, so all summer residents, all tourists, all travelers find themselves in the most advantageous position. Somewhere in the sea, lake waters, in a forest clearing - these are the best positions. And in the city we see the beauty of urbanization,” - quotes Life expert.

According to the scientist, residents of Moscow, Voronezh and Crimea have more opportunities to see starfall due to longer and darker nights compared to the northern regions. Although the weather in St. Petersburg is now clear, residents of the city will also be able to enjoy the grandiose spectacle.

“The situation has changed due to previous approaches of the meteor ring with large planets. The clot that reaches us at the end of July and throughout August has changed its orientation towards a greater number of particle collisions,” the astronomer said.

The 2016 Perseid meteor shower will rain down on Earth this August when a long trail of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle crosses the path of our planet. An unforgettable show awaits us. We will tell you how and where the Perseids will be visible in 2016.

According to many astronomers, the Perseid meteor shower is rightfully considered the most popular meteor shower of the year. In 2016, it will be brighter than ever: the number of falling meteors will, on average, double.

This year, at its peak, between 150 and 200 Perseid meteors are expected to fall each hour, up from 80 meteors in normal years. The last time astronomers observed such an increase was in 2009.

Perseids 2016 – What time to watch?

Starting July 17 and ending August 24, the Earth will pass through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle. At the same time, the peak time - when our planet enters the densest region of the cometary trail - will occur on August 12. In other words, during this peak you will see the largest number of meteors in the shortest period, but you will still be able to see some Perseids before and after this date.

These meteors will appear from the constellation Perseus, which appears in the sky at about 10 p.m. local time. At the same time, most meteors will be visible to the observer only after midnight. A starfall can illuminate the entire night sky, but its origin will invariably appear from the constellation Perseus.

On the evening of August 11, the view will be obstructed by the moon's illumination, but it will set at 1 a.m. on August 12. Therefore, it is best to begin your observations of meteor showers after the moon has set.

Perseids 2016 – Where Will They Be Visible?

The Perseid meteor shower is most comfortable to observe in the northern hemisphere and to mid-southern latitudes; all you need is as dark a space as possible, the ability to sit comfortably and a little patience.

The full moon in August will occur on the 18th, so the most comfortable time for observation will be the first half of the month, when the light from the moon is not so bright.

Perseids 2016 – Source?

Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest space object known to us to regularly pass near the Earth; its width is about 26 kilometers. The last time this comet orbiting the Sun passed near our planet was in 1992; the next time a similar encounter will take place only in 2126. However, we will not be allowed to forget about this comet by its trail consisting of cometary dust and debris, which annually creates the Perseid meteor shower.

When you sit and watch a meteor shower, you are actually seeing pieces of a comet burning up in the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 59 kilometers per second. In space, these debris are called “meteoroids,” but as they enter the earth’s atmosphere, they are called “meteors.” If the “meteor” was able to reach the surface of the Earth and did not burn up in the atmosphere, it is already customary to call it a “meteorite”.

Most Perseid meteors are not particularly large to reach the Earth's surface, being roughly the size of a grain of sand.

This year, the comet's trail is denser than ever, meaning the star shower will be at least twice as intense as usual. This happens when numerous fragments of a comet come together due to the gravitational influence of the giant planets of our Solar System.

It is noteworthy that this year the comet's trail will include meteors that fell from it in 1862, 1479 and 1079. In other words, some of the meteors lighting up Earth's night sky this August broke off from Comet Swift-Tuttle about one thousand years ago.

Perseids 2016 – How to See?

The more area of ​​sky you see, the better it is for viewing the meteor shower. Also, if possible, you should go outside the city, where there is not a lot of light, and be patient for the next 2-3 hours. It will take up to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to complete darkness. The longer you can wait, the more you will be able to see. 150 meteors per hour gives us, for example, two to three meteors every minute, the brightness of which will vary depending on their size.

Also, when going out of town, don’t forget to take with you a comfortable folding chair, a little “braking” for a snack, and some kind of insect spray. After which, you can relax and watch the fabulous celestial show.