You are here: Home > What's Up > Celestial Events > Perseids 2005

They return year after year. For many of us, they spell holidays and warm summer nights. But who — or what — are they? The Perseid meteors, of course!

Observers will be disappointed, because the famous Perseid meteor shower, which returns each summer around mid-August, takes place under poor conditions in 2006. Indeed, peak activity (which occurs on August 12, around 19:00 Eastern Time) arrives only three days after Full moon. The Perseids are more active after local midnight, because the radiant (the area of the sky, located near the constellation Perseus, from which the Perseids seem to originate) rises higher and higher in the sky. Sadly, the nearly-full moon will also be up during that prime period, from mid-evening until dawn, and moonlight will wash out all but the brightest meteors.

The moon notwhitstanding, the two best nights for observing the shower are the 11th to 12th and the 12th to 13th. However, one should not expect to see more than 10 meteors per hour, even away from light-polluted cities. You may also be able to catch a few Perseids — although in lesser numbers — outside the peak period that ranges from August 11 to 13: indeed, Perseids are active from the end of July through the third week of August, which could allow you to benefit from a few moonless nights.

Better luck in 2007: the moon will be new, and the conditions should be perfect for the Perseids!