Vietnamese astronomy enthusiasts have the opportunity to watch the Perseids meteor shower, which will peak on the night of August 12 and early morning of August 13.
According to the Vietnam Astronomy and Cosmology Association (VACA), the Perseids meteor shower occurs every August and is one of the two biggest meteor showers of the year along with the Geminids (in December). This phenomenon is the debris left behind when the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle moves towards the Sun. The last time this comet approached the Sun and crossed the Earth's orbit was in 1992 and the next time will be in 2026.
"The Perseids is one of the most notable meteor showers every year with a peak that can reach 60 to 100 meteors per hour," Dang Vu Tuan Son, Chairman of VACA, told VnExpress.
The best time to observe the meteor shower is on the nights near its peak, which is the night of August 12 and early morning of August 13. The ideal time will be after 2am, when the Moon is about to set and the constellation Perseus has risen high enough. At this time, the observer only needs to look towards the northeastern sky and find the constellation Perseus. If you do not have much experience, the simplest way is to look up at the northeastern sky with an angle of view from the ground of 30 - 50 degrees for about 5 minutes to let your eyes get used to the darkness.
The shape of the constellation Perseus, where the arrows radiate from, is the central area, where most of the meteors originate. Photo: Vietnam Astronomy and Cosmology Association
Meteor showers can be observed easily with the naked eye and do not require any supporting equipment. However, Mr. Son explained that meteor showers are not like fireworks as many people think, even at their peak with ideal viewing conditions, the time between meteor showers can range from a few seconds to several minutes. In addition, you can only observe meteor showers when the sky is clear of clouds or rain, stay away from light-polluted areas and need a wide enough viewing angle and a comfortable, safe viewing position.
Meteor showers occur when debris left behind by comets crosses Earth's orbit. Each time a comet passes through Earth's orbit, a portion of the comet's body breaks off, leaving behind a trail of small meteorites. When our planet passes through this area, the debris (meteorites) enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating shooting stars.
Perseid meteor captured in Alberta, Canada on August 12, 2021. Photo: Joel Weatherly/EarthSky
The next notable meteor shower of the year is the Orionids, which peaks on October 21-22. In August, skywatchers will also have the opportunity to observe Saturn at opposition (the planet’s best position to observe it with a telescope) and the supermoon on August 31.
Nhu Quynh
Source link
Comment (0)