Washington: The Perseid meteor showers, an annual display of shooting stars in Northern Hemisphere, are underway with an expected peak on Friday, but a full moon will hamper seeing all but the brightest meteors.
Though the shower technically peaks at about 1 a.m. CDT on Saturday, August 13, prime-viewing time begins when the constellation Perseus rises into fine view in the northeast around midnight on Friday, August 12.
The full Moon will rise in early evening Friday and will be directly overhead after midnight, coinciding exactly with the predicted time of the shower’s peak intensity. The Moon’s brilliant light will overpower most of the meteors.
Perseid meteors appear to fall from the constellation Perseus, but they are not associated with it. The meteors are actually leftover debris from comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseid meteors recur each year when Earth passes through its debris trail.
ANI
