The Hercules Star Cluster, as taken by astronomer Rod DeVries during last year's Perseid meteor shower, is seen in this handout photo.--File Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Early next week, the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak, offering a chance for expert and amateur astronomers alike to see the remarkable annual phenomenon.
The shower will peak Aug. 12 and 13, and astronomer and Eagle Butte Observatory owner Rod DeVries says he recommends bringing a pair of binoculars, if possible, as they can also allow for other points of interest to be seen.
“The area that they’re going to be looking at to find, the radiant, where the meteors seem to be coming from, is in the constellation Perseus, very near to the Double Cluster, which is an amazing site in binoculars,” said DeVries.
In a sufficiently clear, dark sky, these clusters can be seen with the naked eye as unusually fuzzy spots of light, but binoculars are helpful.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a debris field left behind by a comet, in this case the comet Swift-Tuttle. These tiny pieces of debris, no larger than a grain of sand, collide with the atmosphere at 59 kilometres per second, and can be seen as the bright streaks of light people can observe.
“These fragments are basically vaporizing about 70 to 90 kilometres above the Earth’s surface,” said DeVries. “So they’re way up in the sky, and very tiny particles, but they get very bright.”
Records of human observation of the Perseid meteor shower can be found as early as 36 AD, says DeVries, though the comet itself was discovered in 1862. Swift-Tuttle passes by Earth every 133 years, but the planet passes through the associated debris field annually in mid-August.
“Perseids are probably the highlight of the year, for meteor shower enjoyers,” said DeVries. “It’s still warm, so people can stay out all night, and we can get up to 100 per hour.”
Those looking to observe the phenomenon are encouraged to leave the city to find a dark sky away from urban light pollution, such as the Cypress Hills Dark-Sky Preserve, and to locate themselves so that the moon is blocked by a building or tree, as it will be bright and may make the shower hard to see.
Best viewing will begin at around 11:30 o.m. until near dawn, so those looking to make the most of the peak evenings should be prepared to stay up late.
Eagle Butte Observatory offers a variety of programs for those looking to learn more about the skies, from the eight-session observing program they are currently in the middle of, to weekly sessions out at the Elkwater Learning Center every Saturday until the end of August.
“The sky is more accessible than most people know, and it’s free,” said DeVries. “Don’t forget to look up.”
