PERSEIDS
If you ask most skygazers to name their favorite meteor shower, they
will say “Perseid”. This annual shower seemingly has it all: It
offers a consistently high rate of meteors year after year; it
produces a higher percentage of bright ones than most other showers;
it occurs in August when many people take summer vacation; and it
happens at a time when nice weather and reasonable nighttime
temperatures are common north of the equator. No other major shower
boasts all four of these attributes.
The
best views will come in the predawn hours of Friday morning the 12th,
after the waxing gibbous Moon sets around 1 a.m. local daylight time.
The spectacle will continue to improve as dawn approaches because the
shower’s radiant — the spot on the border between the
constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia where the meteors appear to
emanate from — climbs higher.
As
always, you’ll see more meteors at a viewing site far from any
artificial lights. Look about two-thirds of the way from the horizon
to the zenith, but don’t get tunnel vision gazing at one location.
Let your eyes wander so your peripheral vision can pick up meteors
you otherwise might not see. Keep comfortable by reclining in a lawn
chair or lying on an air mattress. And bring along a sweater or light
jacket. Even if evening temperatures are comfortable, you won’t be
active and can get chilled in a hurry.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario