Among the top three most prolific meteor shower , the Perseids are the undisputed ( shooting ) asterisk of the summertime months in the Northern hemisphere . However this year , a overjealous Moon is set to make the spectacle less brilliant . But worry not , there are a few tips and tricks that can aid attenuate the luminousness of the Moon – a spectaclein its own right field .

First of all , while it top out on August 12 , the shower will go on until August 24 . And the peak has an expected100 meteoroid per hour , so even with the hindrance of the Moon , it will still be potential to see dozens every hour .

Meteor showers get their name from the region of the sky they seem to originate from , known as the radiant , commonly a configuration or a mavin . The radiant for this particular meteor cascade , as the name suggests , is the constellation of Perseus .

look at this constellation is a good place to start your lookup . Look to the North East , and you ’ll find it . You ’ll need to line up an area where you’re able to shade yourself from the Moon , and think of to will time to permit your eye adjust to the darkness ( so no telephone ) . There are other shower combat-ready at this sentence but if it ’s a immobile one , you could bet you blot a perseid .

Meteors are nothing but the left - over grains of debris and ice from comets and asteroids that crossed the celestial orbit of our planet . The source of the Perseids is the periodic comet Swift - Tuttle , which visits the inner Solar System every 133 years . When comet get close-fitting to the Sun , they begin to evaporate , free rubble into long empennage . Their orbits are polluted by this material , and whenever they hybridise Earth ’s area , we know a meteor rain shower . When the debris enters Earth ’s atmosphere , it burns up , and that ’s the bright visible light , or bolide , we see shooting across the sky .

The cometary debris remains in space for grand of years and only a small fraction is becharm by Earth ’s gravity in its journey around the Sun . When it comes to the Perseids and comet Swift - Tuttle , the comet is a 26 - kilometer - wide ( 16.16 mi ) torso so it wo n’t tire material any meter soon , meaning we can rest assured that the Perseid ’s beauty will be celebrated for centuries to add up .

The next fourth dimension Swift - Tuttle actually visits Earth in 2126 , it will bebrightly visibleto the naked middle .