The annual Perseid meteor shower is nearing its peak, and you can enjoy the event live online.
In 2022 Perseid meteor shower it is expected to peak between August 11 and 12. However, the bright moonlight of August full sturgeon moon on August 11 will complicate viewing the peak of the meteor shower, which is why the Virtual Telescope Project is hosting a live webcast on August 9, before the moon reaches maximum brightness.
“Due to the full moon on the night of its peak, we will be doing this live feed two days early, so our satellite will be below the horizon, with still a very good number of meteors!” Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project he wrote.
Related: Guide to the 2022 Perseid meteor shower: when, where and how to see it
Virtual Telescope Project live webcast on August 9 starting at 21:00 EDT (0100 GMT on August 10) and will share all meteors captured by the telescopes’ wide-field cameras. You can also see it on Space.com, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project.
The Perseid meteor shower is active each year from mid-July to late August, when land crosses the remains of debris, or pieces of ice and rock, left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids peak when Earth passes through the densest and dustiest part of the comet’s track.
Most years, with clear skies and little light pollution, Perseid watchers can expect to see 50 to 100 visible meteors, or “shooting stars,” per hour at the shower’s peak.
However, the bright light of August’s full moon, which is also a supermoon (since the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit), will make it difficult to see many meteors. This year, viewers should expect the average number of visible meteors to remain between 10 and 20 per hour at best during their peak, according to a statement (opens in a new tab) by NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.
So the best time to look for the Perseids this year is in the pre-dawn hours when the moon is below the horizon, a few days before peak. If you can’t get outside and enjoy the annual meteor shower, be sure to watch the Virtual Telescope Project’s live stream on August 9, when the moon is expected to set about 60 minutes earlier of dawn, offering a brief window of darkness. skies to observe more meteors.
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