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Meteorites

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight with Up to 100 Shooting Stars per Hour

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its peak tonight, offering a spectacular display of celestial fireworks as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust. The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. If skies are clear, the shower should be visible across the UK from around sunset tonight until the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak tonight, with up to 100 shooting stars visible every hour.
  • The meteors are produced by the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.
  • Meteoroids from the comet are mostly no bigger than a grain of sand and burn up as they hit the Earth's atmosphere at 36 miles per second.
  • Peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1,648C to 5,537C as they hit the atmosphere.
  • The meteors are called Perseids because they seem to dart out of the constellation Perseus.
  • The shower slowly builds up from mid-July and reaches its peak activity at 100 per hour on August 12.
  • A secondary peak is possible, as occurred in 2018 and 2020, with increased activity a day or two after the main peak.
  • Experts recommend avoiding well-lit and built-up areas and finding unobstructed views to make the most of the meteors.
  • It will take viewers up to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and patience is essential to spot the meteors.
  • Observers should try to observe a big range of the sky as meteors will be visible all over.

Statistics:

  • Up to 100 shooting stars visible every hour.
  • 133 years (orbital period of Comet Swift-Tuttle).
  • 36 miles per second (speed of meteoroids as they hit the atmosphere).
  • 1,648C to 5,537C (peak temperatures).
  • Mid-July to August 12 (build-up period).
  • 2018 and 2020 (years with secondary peak activity).

Sources:

  • The Perseid meteor shower. (n.d.). Retrieved from [www.paulclogg.com](http://www.paulclogg.com).
  • Brown, D. (no date). Perseid meteor shower slowly builds up from mid July. [Nottingham Trent University website](https://nottingham-trent.ac.uk).

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