Space Weather, Auroras, Solar Flares and CMEs

[Parsons]

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER--TONIGHT! (Wednesday / Thursday)

The annual Perseid meteor shower is underway. Dusty debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle is hitting the top of Earth's atmosphere at 59+ km/s (130,000 mph) and disintegrating in streaks of light that fly out of the constellation Perseus. On Tuesday morning, Kevin Lewis caught this Perseid streaking down the Milky Way over Cwyfan, Anglesey, UK:



"I was making a deep exposure of the galactic plane on August 11th when the meteor appeared," says Lewis.

Many more could appear tonight. Forecasters expect meteor rates to top 100 per hour on August 12-13 when Earth passes through the heart of Swift-Tuttle's debris stream. The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the dark hours before dawn when the constellation Perseus is high in the sky. City lights will overwhelm many Perseids. For full effect, go to the countryside where a velvet-dark sky provides the backdrop for a fine display.