The annual meteor shower called Perseids caused by meteoroids will peak on Aug. 12-13. The event is a must-attend for star gazers. In 2016, meteor shower is expected to be doubly brilliant, as up to 200 meteors per hour might enter Earth's surface.
Perseid meteor shower is caused by dust from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The comet takes 130 years to revolve around the sun. The shooting stars were identified as a major annual event only in the 19th century and have been observed for the last 150 years.
Perseid meteor shower is caused by dust from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The comet takes 130 years to revolve around the sun. The shooting stars were identified as a major annual event only in the 19th century and have been observed for the last 150 years.
"This year, instead of seeing about 80 Perseids per hour, the rate could top 150 and even approach 200 meteors per hour," NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke said.
The colourful and bright meteors hit Earth's atmosphere at 59 km/s.
When to watch Perseids meteor shower 2016
The 2016 meteor shower will be visible on Aug. 12 between 13h and 15h30 UTC with ZHR~80-100. However, NASA, Observatoire de Paris and other experts like Mikhail Maslov and Esko Lyytinen have made other predictions.
The NASA has said that the meteor shower will be visible past midnight UTC time on Aug. 12. Observatoire de Paris has said that it will be visible on Aug. 12 between 0 and 4h UTC, and Maslov and Lyytinen bright shooting starts will be visible on Aug. 11, starting 22:34 UTC.
In India, it will be seen between Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 from between 11:00pm - 04:30 a.m. IST.
How to watch live
The showers are visible best in Northern Hemisphere and up to mid-southern latitudes. To watch the meteor shower, the best way is to get out of the city, away from dazzling electrical lights. Also, the shooting stars will be visible to the naked eye once it acclimatises with darkness. So keep your smartphones away to make sure your eyes adjust to natural light.
Where to watch live
If you can't get out of the city and still want a look at the meteor shower, you can watch it live online here.
