Great balls of fire! The 2024 Perseid meteor shower is here — when, where and how to watch
Find the dark and hoard your wishes, my babies — the annual Perseid meteor shower is upon us.
Among the finest sky shows in our solar system, the Perseids will be visible throughout the US and most of the Northern Hemisphere in the days to come.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How long does the Perseid meteor shower last?
The Perseid meteor shower is visible from mid-July through late August, with peak streaking occurring between August 9 and 14.
When does the 2024 Perseid meteor shower peak?
The Perseid meteor shower is predicted to reach its zenith on the evening of August 11th, continuing until just before dawn on August 12th, with prime viewing opportunities a few days before and after this pinnacle.
In North America, viewing can start as early as 10 p.m. and last through the pre-dawn hours.
Come the night of the 11th, the moon will be in its waxing crescent phase, roughly 50% illuminated, lending light until it sets around midnight. Following that midnight moon set, the skies will darken, providing an ideal canvas for meteor watching.
The best time to observe the Perseids is between 2 and 4 a.m. During this prime time, up to 100 meteors per hour will appear to scratch the surface of the sky.
The resplendent geeks at NASA have previously stated that fireballs, or large, bright meteors, are the Perseids’ cosmic calling card.
What is a meteor?
Meteors are born from comet particles and asteroid debris. When this glorious detritus travels around the sun, it leaves a trail behind.
When Earth passes through these trails, the bits of space dust collide with our atmosphere and burn themselves up, and their disintegration creates streams of color and fire in the sky.
The Perseid meteor shower comes from the comet formerly known as Swift-Tuttle, formally designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle. Each year, our planet crosses the comet’s orbital path and moves through a trail of debris, with bits and pieces of the comet slamming spectacularly into Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Where can the Perseid meteor shower be seen?
Due to the path of the Swift-Tuttle’s orbit, the Perseid meteor shower is most visible at northern latitudes. As the radiant in Perseus never rises above the horizon in southern latitudes, skygazers in the southern hemisphere see significantly fewer meteors than their northern counterparts.
Perseid mythology
The Perseid meteor shower is named for Perseus, the gorgon-slaying Greek hero.
The showers are associated with Perseus because the radiant, or the point from which the Perseids appear to come in the sky, is located in the direction of the Perseus constellation.The sky show is thought to commemorate Perseus’s gilded conception, wherein Daddy God Zeus impregnated his mother Danae via a shower of gold. Kinky.
The Perseids are also known, biblically and poetically, as the “tears of St. Lawrence” as they peak near the date of the saint’s martyrdom on August 10.
Fun fact, St. Lawrence is the patron saint of cooks, owing perhaps to that one time he was allegedly roasted alive on a gridiron. In the most heavy metal mic drop of all time, he is said to have told his torturers at one point, “I am cooked on that side; turn me over, and eat.”
Where to watch the Perseid meteor shower
The Perseids are best viewed under clear skies and away from the maddening hum of crowds and the ugly interference of light pollution.
And while many a noob will reach for a telescope or binoculars, it actually is better to take in the entirety of the sky, rather than a small part.
The meteors can and will appear anywhere up there, but your best bet is to stare into the darkest part of the sky that your location affords. For best results, lie flat on your back with your feet facing south. After roughly 30 minutes, your eyes will adjust to the dark.
Avoid looking at your phone during the meteor shower. It will impair your night vision and disrupt your ancient connection to the above and beyond.
Look up, wish well, and feel the gravity of being both cosmic and creaturely, infinitesimal and infinite.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience.
