Video Credit: NASA
A Big Month for Astronomy
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Tag Archives: Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseids Seen From the ISS
This video was taken on 10 August, 2016, with a high-resolution video camera onboard the International Space Station. Within the span of about 10 seconds beginning about 7 seconds into the video, two meteors associated with the Perseid meteor shower streak across the sky above Pakistan.
Video Credit: NASA
The Perseid Meteor Shower is Coming
The Perseid meteor shower occurs during the second week of August each year, peaking on the night of the 11th and 12th. This year, the forecast is for up to twice the usual number of meteors. Counts could go as high as 200 per hour places with dark skies.
Image and Video Credits: NASA
The Perseids
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_664lrmyGE]
Video Credit: NASA
Meteors v. Moon
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkKzMAzT5fs]
Video Credit: NASA
Perseid Meteor Shower As Seen From the ISS
Folks on Earth watched last year’s Perseid meteor shower by looking up into the bright moonlit night sky. But this remarkable view was captured on 13 August 13 of last year by Ron Garan looking down on a Perseid meteor. Garan was onboard the International Space Station orbiting at an altitude of about 380 km while the Perseid meteors streaked below. The glowing dust grains left over from comet Swift-Tuttle are traveling at about 60 km/s through the atmosphere around 100 km above the surface of the Earth’s. The foreshortened meteor flash is just right of the center of the picture—below the curving limb of the Earth and a layer of greenish airglow.
This year’s Perseid shower should peak this weekend. Given a clear sky, viewing should be better than last year with less interference from a waning crescent Moon rising a few hours before the Sun.
BTW, the white speck between the green airglow and the earth’s limb near the meteor trail isn’t dust on your screen. It’s the star Arcturus.
Image Credit: NASA