"The Perseid meteor shower, the most prolific meteor shower of the year, peaks on the night of August 11, 2016. The Perseids is a favorite of many stargazers because it shows more bright meteors than most showers, usually about 50-60 per hour.
Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are simply dust-sized pieces of icy debris expelled from a comet, in this case, Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the Earth passes through the comet’s debris trail once each year, some particles streak through our atmosphere and heat up, leaving a transient bright glow we call a meteor. The tiny particles burn up in the atmosphere. Very few, if any, make it to the Earth’s surface. Some hit the moon, too, though they’re too faint to see, even with a telescope.
The Perseids build slowly, starting in late July when you might see 3 to 4 an hour. They peak when Earth passes through the thickest part of the debris stream on August 11-12. At the peak of the show, in clear, dark sky, you might see as many as 60 meteors an hour."
Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are simply dust-sized pieces of icy debris expelled from a comet, in this case, Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the Earth passes through the comet’s debris trail once each year, some particles streak through our atmosphere and heat up, leaving a transient bright glow we call a meteor. The tiny particles burn up in the atmosphere. Very few, if any, make it to the Earth’s surface. Some hit the moon, too, though they’re too faint to see, even with a telescope.
The Perseids build slowly, starting in late July when you might see 3 to 4 an hour. They peak when Earth passes through the thickest part of the debris stream on August 11-12. At the peak of the show, in clear, dark sky, you might see as many as 60 meteors an hour."
Dorset - England
Cantabria - Spain
Jankowo - Poland
Vienna - Austria
Lindisfarne - England
Holloko - Hungary
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