Fireball Meteor Shooting from the Constellation Perseus

Perseid Meteor Shower and a Supermoon

One of the best meteor showers of the year takes place this month.  It’s the Perseids, named for the constellation Perseus, where the shooting stars appear to radiate from.  This year the shower is at it’s maximum during the night and morning hours of August 12-13th. During a normal year 60 to 100 shooting stars per hour can be seen at its peak.  This year, though, it could be different.

The moon will be near full during the meteor shower.  On top of that, it will be a supermoon, which will be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than an average full moon.  The light from the moon will wash out the night sky, making many of the dimmer meteors much more difficult to see.

The Perseid Meteor Shower is caused by the debris trail left by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

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