Next Sunday night, the sky will be lit up by the most spectacular meteor shower of the year: the Perseid meteor shower. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ideal time to watch this celestial phenomenon will be in the pre-dawn hours of August 12, but the spectacle begins as early as 10 p.m. on August 11. The viewing can be repeated the following night, August 12-13, when the peak intensity is expected to reach more than 60 meteors per hour.
The phenomenon occurs when Earth crosses the path left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed in 1992 and has a 133-year orbit. The meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, hence the name Perseids. At 9:30 p.m., the sky will be dark enough and the radiant, the meteors’ point of origin, will be slightly above the horizon. Although the first meteors are rare, they travel long distances across the sky, providing a stunning visual spectacle. As the night progresses, the radiant rises and the number of meteors increases, albeit on shorter paths.
In addition to the Perseids, the third week of August will see other interesting astronomical phenomena. On August 19, at 7:26 p.m., a seasonal blue moon will occur, the third full moon in a season of four full moons, which is relatively rare. The next seasonal blue moon won’t occur until 2027, on May 20.
At the end of the month, on the night of August 20, Saturn will rise almost above the full moon, creating a dazzling celestial spectacle. Throughout the night, the two will shine side by side, while Neptune will be below and to the left of the moon and Saturn, although it will only be visible through a telescope.
This series of astronomical events makes August a month not to be missed for skywatchers.
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