BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week a look forward to a highlight of mid-August, the Perseid meteor shower.
One of the best chances to ‘catch a falling star’ is the Perseid meteor shower. And the evening of Aug. 12 and early morning of Aug. 13 should be the peak night for this annual event.
Like all meteor showers, this one takes place as the Earth passes through the remnants of an ancient comet that orbits, or once orbited, the sun. The Perseids are the dust and small bits of rock left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle.
“Swift-Tuttle… orbits the earth about once every 133 years. And it was last seen in the inner solar system in 1992”, according to McGuire.
So there’s about a century before that comet will be putting on an astronomical show for Earthly observers. But the Perseids put on a reliably good show in the night sky each summer.