Where is the best place to see the Perseid meteor shower in 2024? What is the best time to see the Perseids? The year’s biggest and best meteor shower is almost upon us, and NASA has begun answering questions about how to see as many “shooting stars” as possible. Its main advice? Get out of the city and find dark rural skies.
When Is The Perseid Meteor Shower: Dates
The Perseid meteor shower runs from July 14 through September 1, 2024, but will peak on the night of Sunday, August 11, through Monday, August 12. Although you may have already seen some Perseids, it’s that peak night when you need to be ready.
Perseid Meteor Shower: When To Look
The times this year are perfect. This year’s Perseids will be slightly impacted by a 53% waxing Moon, but the Moon will set right as the Perseids begin to peak. The moon, albeit half-illuminated, will set about midnight wherever you are in North America, making the best advice relatively simple—look from after the moon sets (or thereabouts) until dawn.
Take lots of breaks—nobody can intensely stare at the night sky for more than 30 minutes— but avoid looking at your cellphone or any other white light that will destroy your night vision. Red light is much less harmful.
Where To See The Perseid Meteor Shower
“Get out of the city! Try to get to the darkest location you can. The darker it is where you are, the more meteors you will see streaking across the sky,” states NASA.
A location with a clear, unobstructed view of the night sky is essential, but what you need more than anything is a clear, dark sky. The best idea is to get as far away from urban light pollution as possible, which can be done by consulting a Light Pollution Map or visiting an International Dark Sky Park.
Which Direction To Look To See Perseids
You can look anywhere in the night sky. Perseids will appear to come from the northeast—where its radiant constellation, Perseus (hence their name), will be rising after dark—but that’s not hugely important.
Perseid Meteor Shower: How Many ‘Shooting Stars’?
It varies. “There can be as little as a few dozen per hour, but some rare years bring a brief ‘burst’ of up to two hundred beautiful ‘shooting stars’ an hour,” states NASA.
Perseids And Northern Lights?
Will you see both on the same night? It’s possible because solar activity is currently at a 23-year high. Whether geomagnetic storms will be ongoing on Sunday through Monday night is unclear—check on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
NASA’s Top Tips To See ‘Shooting Stars’
Here are tips from NASA about how best to see the Perseids this year:
– Get out of the city.
– Check the weather forecast.
– Find a meteor shower party near you.
– Stay warm and comfortable outside—be prepared.
– Bring your friends and family.
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the dust and debris left in the inner solar system by comet 109P/ Swift-Tuttle. Swift-Tuttle last visited in 1992 and is next due to visit in 2125.
Pick up my books Stargazing in 2024, A Stargazing Program For Beginners, and When Is The Next Eclipse?
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/08/07/nasa-urges-public-to-leave-the-city-for-the-perseid-meteor-shower-this-weekend/