The Perseid meteor shower kicks off the summer season

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Every year, amateur astronomers around the world look forward to observing the famous Perseid meteor shower. This year, the waning moon will obscure the Perseid meteor shower three days after the full moon, but you'll also have a chance to see four other smaller showers between July 29 and August 16.

Almost everyone who looks up at the sky at night will see a few shooting stars. However, keep in mind that you will see twice as many shooting stars in the pre-dawn hours. This is because in the pre-dawn hours we are on the back side of the Earth due to our orbital motion through space.

As falling objects collide with our atmosphere at speeds of 11 to 72 kilometers per second, their energy is dissipated in the form of heat, light, and ionization, creating streaks of light that we call shooting stars.

The good news is that you won't need any special equipment to observe. All you need is your eyes and a dark spot, ideally outside of the city. The number of meteors an observer can see will depend on the conditions of the sky. Smaller showers will be active in the coming weeks, including the Kappa Cygnids, Delta Aquarids, Alpha Capricorni and Eta Eridanids.

Currently, you can see the Delta Aquarids shower with a broad three-day maximum from July 29 to 31. The longest activity of the shower was recorded from July 12 to August 23. A much weaker shower is the Alpha Aquarids, which begins around July 3 and peaks at the end of the month. The Eta Eridanids will be most visible at their peak of activity on August 7.

The view of the Perseids themselves, of which up to 90 fall within an hour, will be disrupted this year by the Moon, which will dominate the morning sky on August 12. Therefore, you will see only the brightest of them this year. Therefore, pay special attention to the lesser-known Kappa Cygnids shower from August 3 to 28. Patient observers will be rewarded with the sight of blazing fireballs, which fall at an average of three per hour.

Source:Space.com