Glossary Perseids

Perseids

Perseids are the regular and most predictable meteor showers which appear regularly every year. They are associated with Swift Tuttle comet and appear to rise from the radiant in the constellation Perseus.

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Image by Dneutral Han via Getty Images / Source

Swift Tuttle comet, formerly known as 109P, travels toward Earth's part of the solar system every 133 years, leaving traces of perseids.

It was last seen in 1992 after its discovery year 1862 AD. The next time Swift Tuttle is predicted to be seen in 2126 AD.

Perseids, formed by the motion of Swift Tuttle, are active from mid-July to the end of August every calendar year and meet their peak shine between the 9th of August and the 14th of August.

This period produces beautiful sights for stargazers.

perseids

In 2023, the peak was seen on 12th August.  In 2024, they are expected to shine most visibly around 11-12th August.

Perseids appear and disappear from human beings' achievement at the height of about 50 miles from the Earth's surface.

Perseids vs Full Moon (Supermoon)

As 10th August had full moon and perseids are appearing in the same period, it would be interesting how the sky will look this time.

Science at NASA has an illustrative analysis of this event.

 

The meteor showers of  2012 and 2013 were recorded in these time-lapse YouTube videos: