How to Watch One of the Most Dazzling Meteor Showers of the Year
The Perseids are an annual meteor shower that started in July, but astronomers expect the light show to be at its best between the evening hours of August 12 through to August 13. Famous for its typically high volume of swift, bright meteors, these burning space rocks leave long streaks of colorful light across the night sky in their wake, according to NASA. The Perseids' ability to produce fireballs is due to large chunks of material falling from the comet Swift-Tuttle as it makes its way around the Sun—every year Earth passes through the trail of debris and dust the comet leaves behind, and the interaction between that debris and our atmosphere is what causes the Perseids.
Under ideal conditions, the Perseid shower can produce 50 to 100 shooting stars per hour, the agency says. This year may be a little different, however, as a near-full Moon during those peak hours could make it especially difficult to see the Perseids in their full glory.
'In 2025, the waning gibbous moon will severely compromise this shower at the time of maximum activity,' the AMS states. 'Such conditions will reduce activity by at least 75 percent as only the brighter meteors will be visible.'
The August full Moon—also known as the Sturgeon Moon—rises on Saturday, August 9. That means that while it won't be completely full when the Perseids peak, it will still be bright enough to blot out some of the falling meteors. But there are things you can do to improve your chances of seeing some.
The number one rule of skywatching is to create the darkest conditions possible. You can't change the brightness of a near-full Moon, but you can take advantage of the shadows it casts, according to EarthSky. Instead of standing out in the open, choose a spot in the shadow of a tree or building—just make sure it doesn't obstruct your view. This will block out the moonlight and make it easier to spot shooting stars. It's also important to select a viewing location far from sources of light pollution. The more rural your spot, the more meteors you'll see. Looking at a smartphone, laptop, or tablet can affect your vision, too, so put them away and enjoy the view.
Even under a bright Moon, the best time of night to see shooting stars is between midnight and pre-dawn. This is when the sky is darkest and the Perseid shower is most active. During these hours, Earth is positioned so that you are on its leading side, according to The Planetary Society. This allows you to watch meteors as they come straight at the planet.
The Perseid shower is especially visible in the northern hemisphere because its radiant—the point in the sky from which its meteors appear to originate—is somewhat north on the sky's dome, The Planetary Society says. While the shooting stars are actually falling from the comet Swift-Tuttle, they look to our eyes like they come from the constellation Perseus, hence the name. You don't have to stare directly at the radiant to see them, however. In fact, the ideal place to look is 45 degrees away from this point.
The shower will remain active through the end of August, but is most dazzling in mid-August.
And if you don't manage to catch the Perseids, don't fret. Another meteor shower is just around the corner: The Geminids, which also occur annually, will take place under moonless conditions in December, according to NASA.
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Medscape
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The Framingham Heart Study A landmark, long-term investigation into cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. With funding from what is now the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, researchers began tracking the health of more than 5000 residents in Framingham, Massachusetts. The goal was to understand the root causes of heart disease, which at the time was the leading cause of death in the US but poorly understood. The study followed participants over decades, collecting information on blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking habits, physical activity, and more. It provided the first conclusive evidence linking high blood pressure and high cholesterol to cardiovascular illness. It also helped establish the role of smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise in heart disease. This led to the widely used Framingham Risk Score, which estimates a person's 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 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Subsequent Surgeon General reports would expand on the dangers of secondhand smoke, the effects of nicotine addiction, and more. Dr. Luther Terry with the landmark Surgeon General report on smoking and health, funded by the US Public Health Service and informed by federally supported research. 3. Oral Rehydration Therapy A simple sugar-and-salt solution that has saved tens of millions of lives. In the late 1960s, cholera remained a deadly global threat. The disease, which causes severe diarrhea, could kill patients within hours by rapidly draining the body of water and essential salts. At the time, intravenous fluids were the standard treatment, but access was limited, particularly in the poorer countries where cholera outbreaks were most severe. Enter Dr. Richard Cash, a young physician who joined the NIH during the Vietnam War as an alternative to military service. 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Measles, meanwhile, was declared eliminated from the Western Hemisphere in 2016 (though recent outbreaks are raising concerns about that status). Public investment was crucial to the development of these vaccines. The measles vaccine, developed by John Enders and his team at Harvard, was made possible through NIH-supported research into how to culture the virus — a critical step toward producing a safe and effective vaccine, licensed in 1963. It laid the groundwork for the combination MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella vaccine) developed in 1971. In 2005, the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine was added, creating the now-standard MMRV shot for children. The polio vaccine emerged from a public fundraising campaign that started when President Franklin D. Roosevelt (a polio survivor) and Basil O'Connor founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis — later renamed the March of Dimes — which channeled donations into research and care. 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