Perseid meteor shower in the sky over Knutsford, Kamloops, 2023.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Dave Markel
July 23, 2024 - 6:00 AM
Residents in the the Okanagan and Kamloops looking for a cool, family-friendly summer activity might want to add sky watching to the list.
The Perseid meteor shower started in mid-July and will be increasing in intensity over the next couple of weeks giving sky watchers ample time to view it this summer.
Considered by NASA to be one of the best shooting star displays of the year, the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Aug. 12, with a chance for observers to see more than 100 meteors streak across the sky every hour.
Appearing to radiate from the constellation Perseus, the meteors are seen when Earth passes through ice and rock debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The bits of debris collide with Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate in flames. Discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, the comet is considered large with a nucleus of 26 kilometres across.
Activity peaks as Earth passes through the densest area.
Perseids are fast and bright, moving at 59 kilometres per second, and leave long tails of light behind them. They are also known for fireballs, which are larger and brighter explosions of longer lasting light.
READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Amazing captures of Perseids meteor shower in Kamloops, Okanagan
In the northern hemisphere, the meteors are best viewed during the pre-dawn hours, but it is possible to see them as early as 10 p.m. Remember to find a spot with a wide view away from light pollution.
If you get photos of the Perseids meteor shower and want to share, send them to news@infonews.ca.
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