Do Not Miss the Opportunity to Admire the Largest Meteor Shower

On the night of August 12, the morning of August 13 (Vietnam time), there will be meteor shower Perseids - with a density of up to 60 - 100 streaks / hour is one of the two big and beautiful meteor shower most of the year. This article explains the key facts and context behind meteor shower.

Key Facts About Meteor Shower

According to experts, the meteor shower this year is hard to "boom" like last year, maybe only about 40 streaks / hour on the extreme night. The reason is that this year's meteor shower falls at the time of the crescent moon only a few days after the full moon, so the moon's light can cause the observation ability to decrease.

The Perseids meteor shower took place in August every year and originated from comet Swift-Tuttle (or 109P / Swift-Tuttle) - spinning around the Sun with a cycle of 135 years.

When the Earth passes through the tail of Swift-Tuttle's comet with a diameter of 27km, a large cluster of meteorites from this comet will plunge into the Earth's atmosphere. They will rub against the air and ignite to form light trails called meteor.

How to observe meteor shower

• To fully watch the meteor, the viewer only needs to face northeast, find the constellation Perseus.
• The time when watching the best meteor will be around 1 - 4 am on August 13, when the sky is cloudy.
• It is possible to observe the Perseus meteor shower with the naked eye.
• Because the interstellar interval can last from a few seconds to several minutes, you need to be patient to catch sparkling meteor streaks.
• Take an observation position with a wide angle of view, high and without lights to make it easier to observe.
• And finally, wish this weekend cloudy sky, and not rain.