iN PHOTOS: Amazing captures of Perseids meteor shower in Kamloops, Okanagan
The Perseids meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend and some shutterbugs were able to capture incredible photos of the stars, Milky Way and blazing meteors.
The meteors are created when the Earth passes through bits of ice and rock left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle and the peak happens when our planet is travelling through the most dense area. As they enter Earth's atmosphere, bits of comet debris heat up and burn up. The shower is named the Perseids because from Earth’s perspective it looks like the meteors are coming from the constellation Perseus in the Northern Hemisphere.
It's considered the best meteor shower of the year, according to NASA, and at the peak overnight Sunday, Aug. 13, sky watchers could see up to 100 meteors per hour.
READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Baby ospreys taking first flights in Kamloops, Shuswap
You don't need a telescope or binoculars to see the meteors as they hit the atmosphere, and they can appear just about anywhere in the sky.
That debris is mostly made of tiny meteoroids, lumps of rock or iron that orbit the sun. When they hit Earth's atmosphere and create a brief flash of light, they are called meteors. A piece that manages to make it to the ground is a meteorite.
Meteors can typically be seen at about 80 to 120 kilometres above the Earth. When they light up, they are usually travelling up to 72 kilometres per second, or about 26,000 kilometres per hour.
The meteor shower will come to an end toward the end of the month.
If you get great photos of the Perseids and want to share, send them to news@infonews.ca.
— With files from The Canadian Press
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
