Perseid meteor shower peaks over Taiwan Wednesday

英仙座流星雨週三在台灣迎來極大期

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Perseid meteor shower, one of the year's most popular astronomical events, will reach its peak overnight Wednesday under nearly moonless skies, offering skywatchers in Taiwan a good chance to see meteors streak across the sky.

The Taipei Astronomical Museum said the meteor shower will be most active after midnight. The museum will also host a live webcast of the Perseid meteor shower from 10-11 p.m. Wednesday, featuring guests discussing meteors and other astronomical topics, per a press release.

The Perseids are one of three major annual meteor showers. They are known for producing fast, bright meteors and occasional fireballs. Under ideal conditions, the shower can produce as many as 100 meteors per hour.

However, the actual number visible to an individual is usually lower because of light pollution, weather, and the observer's location. The museum estimates that people observing from a dark location under good conditions could see about 70 meteors per hour during this year's peak.

The Perseid radiant, the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to come, will rise at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Perseids originate from the famous Comet Swift-Tuttle (109P), which orbits the sun every 133 years. The dust trail it leaves intersects with Earth's orbit, causing tiny fragments to enter the atmosphere at high speed, burn up, and create bright streaks of light.

Despite being called shooting stars, meteors are not stars. Most are tiny pieces of rock or dust, many no larger than a grain of sand, that burn up high above Earth's surface. The shower is named for the constellation Perseus, where its radiant is located.

This year's viewing conditions are especially favorable because the moon will be close to a new-moon phase. This means there will be little moonlight washing out the sky, making it easier to see fainter meteors.

The museum recommends finding a location away from city lights with a wide, unobstructed view of the sky. No telescope or binoculars are needed. In fact, the museum recommends simply watching with the naked eye because meteors can appear anywhere across a large area of the sky.

Skywatchers should also give their eyes time to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at bright phone screens.

Another celestial attraction comes Saturday, when Venus reaches its only greatest eastern elongation of the year, providing the year's best opportunity to observe the planet, according to the museum.

Weather will ultimately determine how much can be seen of Venus and the Perseid meteor shower, as cloud cover, haze, and city lights can significantly reduce visibility. More information about August's astronomical events is available here.