2016 Perseid Meteor Shower: Peak Dates Approaching

The Perseid Meteor Shower, expected to have an outburst in 2016, will peak around mid-August yielding anywhere between 150-200 meteors per hour.

According to the American Meteor Society, normal rates range from 50-75 shower members per year, but in 2016 they will appear at double the normal rate. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke was quoted by Space.com as saying the rate could top 150 and even reach 200 meteors per hour.

The outburst is the first of its kind since 2009.

While the showers peak between Aug. 12-13, they are active between July 13-Aug. 26 and can be seen during this period.

Spacedex offers tips for the best way to view the meteor showers.

In 2016, the peak of the Perseids meteor shower will coincide with a Waxing Gibbous Moon, creating unfavorable viewing conditions. With upwards of 80 meteors per hour predicted, it may well be worth staying out to catch quite a few impressive bursts of light streaking through the night sky, even though fainter Perseids may not be visible due to moonlight.

For the best viewing experience, find an area unobstructed by a structure that is far away from city lights. Using optical devices such as binoculars or telescopes is not recommended.

Once you have settled down at your observation spot, face half-way up toward the northeastern portion of the sky. Looking northeast, you will have the constellation of Perseus, the radiant of the Perseids shower, within your field of view.

Looking directly up at the sky or into the radiant is not recommended since this is just the point in which they appear to come from. You are more likely to see a trail when looking slightly away from this point. Looking half-way up into the sky will lead to the best show in the house.

Space.com notes the most meteors will be visible after midnight.

Why does this meteor shower happen?

The Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest natural object (next to the Moon) to pass by the Earth. It's about 16 miles wide. The comet passed by Earth last in the early 90s, but given that comets are messy, messy objects, they leave a trail of debris along their path. As Earth orbits around the sun, it actually orbits into the path of that debris once each year. It would be like riding your bike around the block and getting wet from that lawn sprinkler at the corner house each time you pass by.

Are they meteors?

Actually, no. They're tiny pieces of comet debris — some of which are no larger than a grain of sand. They're incredibly fast and can travel up to 37 miles per second. Despite their small size, these "meteroids" encounter a lot of friction as they enter Earth's upper atmosphere and burn bright colors as they reach their meteoric end.

Outburst, eh?

Yep. When the comet passed by Jupiter earlier this year, the gravitational pull of the solar system's largest planet caused all of the comet debris to clump together and line up with Earth's path.

You’ll have to get up early to catch them, though, because a bright moon will intrude with viewing in the evening hours.

— By Scott Anderson and Feroze Dhanoa

Image Credit: NASA