Perseid Meteor Shower 2009: Photos & Perseids Viewing Information

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by Annina Bergman | August 10, 2009 at 10:27 am
18502 views | 27 Recommendations | 5 comments

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What's Up for August? Meteors!

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sourced by Annina Bergman

What's Up for August? Meteors!

The annual Perseid meteor shower 2009 is back to light up our night sky. The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the earth passes through fragments left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. The small comet particles create streaks of light across the sky as they enter the earth's atmosphere and burn up.

Photos

Perseid meteor - spiral burnout

Perseid meteor - spiral burnout

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uploaded by fyngyrz

 Interested in Perseids viewing? The peak of the Perseid meteor shower 2009 is expected to occur on August 12th, sometime around 11 GMT. Those who are Perseids viewing may see more than 80 meteors streak across the sky at peak times. The bright moon may create some problems for Perseids viewing, but it is still possible to get a good view.

The moon will provide some interference for the Perseids, at just over half full and rising around midnight. The best advice: Look away from the moon—and all other lights—so your eyes stay as dark-adapted as possible.

Source: news.nationalgeographic.com



The Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus, but the Perseid meteor showers are also known as the Tears of St. Lawrence.

While scientifically we know the appearance of the shooting stars are the by-products of comet Swift-Tuttle, our somewhat more superstitious ancestors viewed them as the tears of a martyred man who was burned for his beliefs.

Source: universetoday.com

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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)

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0
Pat Garcia
Pat Garcia

at 11:11 on August 10th, 2009

Wow, thanks for posting, I hope I can see them!

0
SKnoopables
SKnoopables

at 10:32 on August 11th, 2009

I had no luck capturing the Perseids, but settled for a piece of Ursa Major. I'll be on the watch again this very night. Perhaps I will have a meteor pic tomorrow. Thanks for your interest.

SKnoopables has contributed a photo to this story.

0
Alycia
Alycia (not verified)

at 00:02 on August 12th, 2009

Its 5:00 am on the 12th i can see so many shooting stars

0
Jeff124
Jeff124 (not verified)

at 03:38 on August 12th, 2009

Im looking forward to this night and the perseid meteor is great show...

in addition, an applied article: Check out this >>>

"Viewing Perseid Meteor Shower guide for 12 August 2009 "

0
Captain Ken
Captain Ken (not verified)

at 23:07 on August 31st, 2009

Is the timeline for these events common around the world?

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

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