A unique astronomical show – the Perseid meteor shower – can be admired from Romania, on the night of August 12-13, when there will be maximum activity, reports Agerpres.

The Perseid meteor shower is the most familiar to the majority of the population of all the major streams during the year, both because it has shown regular activity for a long time (observed for over 2,000 years) and for a simple reason. that its long period of activity offers ideal viewing conditions for those living in the northern hemisphere.

The “shooting star” phenomenon is very well known. A light trail in the sky is left by a particle with a diameter of less than 1 mm, which burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere during friction with the air. For a fraction of a second, this phenomenon, which astronomers call a meteor, is visible (shooting star), potriviastro-urseanu.ro.

The moon does not interfere with observing the Perseids

The biggest enemy of the Perseid – the Moon, which can hinder the observation of the phenomenon, will have a visibility of 10% this year, a fact that favors the observation of the astronomical phenomenon in 2023, reports imo.net. The Earth’s natural satellite sets on August 12 at 18:35 and rises on August 13 at 02:24.

According to NASA, 100 meteors can be seen in a clear sky in an hour. The best time for observation is after midnight until morning. Any meteor whose reverse trajectory reaches the constellation Cassiopeia (between Cassiopeia and Perseus) is a “Perseis”. The best place to see the Perseids or most other meteor showers is in the darkest place, away from artificial city lights.

Perseid activity began on July 14 and will end on September 1 this year. Considering the good activity of the Perseids since the beginning of August, it is recommended to go out for observations also on the night adjacent to the maximum (12/11, 13/14, etc.).

The Earth constantly encounters the cloud of dust and stones released by Comet Swift-Tuttle at the same point in our planet’s orbit, that is, at the same time of the year: around August 12. The collision speed of comet particles with the Earth’s atmosphere reaches even 59 km/s.

Small particles, but with enormous speed and energy

Although cloud particles are rarely larger than a pea, the sheer speed at which they travel gives these tiny projectiles impressive energy. Air friction slows them down, they heat up and ionize the long tail of air in their path.

Due to the passage in 1992 of the mother comet Swift-Tuttle at perihelion – the closest point to the Sun – there was an increase in the activity of the stream, the frequency of meteors reached 400 meteors per hour in 1991 and 1992. , then dropped to about 100 per hour in 1999.

The phenomenon known as “star rain” or “shooting stars” has its radiant in the constellation Perseus, from where its name is derived. Constellation Perseus (lat. Perseus) is a constellation in the northern hemisphere that crosses the Milky Way, visible after midnight in August, reports timeanddate.com. It is rich in stars, including the double star Algol – the first open variable star, which was also observed by the Arabs.

The first observer to determine the hourly rate of the Perseid meteor shower was Edward Hayes, who in 1839 counted 160 meteors per hour.

The calculation of the Perseid orbit was made between 1864-1866 by Giovanni Sciparelli (1835-1910). He discovered a close connection of the phenomenon with the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes near the Sun once every 120 years. The name Perseid was also given by Skiparelli in 1866.