Ongoing meteor shower could produce exploding fireballs of color and light this week
The Perseid meteor shower has already streaked across the sky since July 17 and will continue until Aug. 23, but they should reach peak speed and volume between Aug. 12 and 13, according to NASA. The best time to check out the Perseids is during the pre-dawn hours, but astronomers suggest viewing them as early as 10 p.m.
As the Perseids appear, they typically leave behind long 'wakes,' or brief glows of light and color behind them, the space agency stated. The meteor shower typically has around 25 meteors fly through the sky per hour, but as many as 50 to 100 can be seen
'Perseids are also known for their fireballs,' NASA stated on its website. 'Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material.'
For these reasons, NASA said that astronomers consider the Perseids as the best and most popular meteor showers of the year.
So, where in the night sky can stargazers spot the Perseids? The shower's radiant point, or the placement of where a celestial object is in the night sky, is in the direction of the constellation Perseus, NASA stated.
More news about the night sky
A fake solar eclipse? European satellites photograph 'eclipse-making' mission
Strawberries on the brain? This full moon could be the treat for you
Here are 10 NASA missions that could be grounded under Trump's 2026 budget
Selfie on Mars? Here's how NASA caught a new glimpse of the Martian surface
New research says our universe only has a quinvigintillion years left, so make 'em good ones
Read the original article on MassLive.
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
How to watch tonight's Perseid meteor shower and the special planetary surprise
Gather round and gaze up, kids, the annual Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight. In previous years, the Perseid shower has produced as many as 40-50 visible meteors per hour at its peak. Unfortunately, this year, due to the shower peaking close to a nearly Full Moon, visibility will be compromised. The moon will technically be in its waning gibbous phase, or 85% illuminated, making meteor viewing more challenging. Still, according to experts, sky gazers still stand to see 10 to 20 meteors per hour. When to watch the Perseid meteor shower This evening, there will be a one-hour gap between dusk and moonrise, providing a prime canvas to see 'Earth grazers,' or meteors that graze the upper atmosphere. Leo – Hopeful watchers have two windows tonight and in the wee hours of tomorrow to catch the shooting star show. This evening, there will be a one-hour gap between dusk and moonrise, providing a prime canvas to see 'Earth grazers,' or meteors that graze the upper atmosphere. While these beauties may be few and far between, they are long and long-lasting, painting the sky for two to three seconds a pop. Our second viewing window opens in the last hours before daybreak on Wednesday, roughly 3 AM – 6 AM. While the mostly full moon will be clogging the southern sky with its lunar light, viewers can turn their gaze northward toward the constellation Perseus and catch a few bright meteors before the sun rises. Where to see the Perseid meteor shower While the Perseids peak tonight, the shower will keep on showering through September 1, giving us more time for gazing. Conditions will improve as the moon wanes back to the black of a New Moon on August 23. astrosystem – As a celestial boon to those who are rising early or staying up late, the Perseid peak occurs just after the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, and the two luminaries will still be cuddling close together and shining brightly in the sky just before sunrise. How to see 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 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. After roughly 30 minutes, your eyes will adjust to the dark.. While the Perseids peak tonight, the shower will keep on showering through September 1, giving us more time for gazing. Conditions will improve as the moon wanes back to the black of a New Moon on August 23. Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Perseid meteor shower 2025 peaks tonight: Where and what time to watch the year's brightest shower
The Perseid shower is considered the best, most visible meteor display of the year, according to NASA. The Perseid meteor shower will peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with up to 100 streaks visible every hour. The Perseid shower, which has been active since July 17, is 'considered the best meteor shower of the year,' according to NASA. Experts note that the moon may impact some visibility, but viewers will still be able to watch the shower if they're in a dark area away from city lights and their phones. Here's what to know to prepare for the year's biggest meteor shower. What is a meteor shower? Meteoroids are falling pieces of debris from comets and asteroids that, as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, turn into meteors, according to NASA. As meteors vaporize, their trails are visible from Earth, which is what we call 'shooting stars' or 'falling stars.' A meteor shower is what happens when there's a higher-than-usual number of meteors falling across the sky in a short period of time. Meteor showers happen at certain times throughout the year because comets also orbit the sun, so when a comet and the Earth cross paths, the Earth encounters a lot of the comet's debris, or meteoroids. What to know about the Perseid meteor shower Perseid meteors leave particularly long, bright trails as they fall through Earth's atmosphere, with about 50 to 100 streaks expected to be visible every hour at its peak. The Perseid shower comes from comet 109/Swift-Tuttle, a comet that takes 133 years to orbit the sun and crosses the Earth's orbit once a year. The shower's name comes from the constellation Perseus, NASA explains, which is the point in the sky from which the Perseid meteors are visibly falling. Fireballs are also anticipated to appear throughout Tuesday night into Wednesday. 'Fireballs' is an astronomical term used by NASA to describe meteoroids that burst into bright colors while in the Earth's atmosphere, becoming more visible than average meteors. How to watch the Perseid meteor shower Northern Hemisphere residents will have the best Perseid views, NASA reports. But this year's shower does coincide with the rise of a waning gibbous moon, the phase between a full moon and a half moon, which could impact visibility, warned. To find the best time to see the Perseid shower where you are, check the Global Meteor Network's meteor-tracking meter. Solve the daily Crossword
Scientific American
2 hours ago
- Scientific American
Trump Order Gives Political Appointees Vast Powers over Research Grants
US President Donald Trump issued an expansive executive order (EO) yesterday that would centralize power and upend the process that the US government has used for decades to award research grants. If implemented, political appointees — not career civil servants, including scientists — would have control over grants, from initial funding calls to final review. This is the Trump administration's latest move to assert control over US science. The EO, titled 'Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking', orders each US agency head to designate an appointee to develop a grant-review process that will 'advance the President's policy priorities'. Those processes must not fund grants that advance 'anti-American values' and instead prioritize funding for institutions committed to achieving Trump's plan for 'gold-standard science'. (That plan, issued in May, calls for the US government to promote 'transparent, rigorous, and impactful' science, but has been criticized for its potential to increase political interference in research.) Impacts might be felt immediately: the latest order directs US agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to halt new funding opportunities, which are calls for researchers to submit applications for grants on certain topics. They will be paused until agencies put their new review processes in place. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Trump's EO comes after the US Senate — which, along with the House, ultimately controls US government spending — has, in recent weeks, mostly rejected his proposals to slash the federal budget for science, totalling nearly US$200 billion annually. The White House did not respond to questions from Nature about the EO. Negative reaction Trump, a Republican, has previously used EOs, which can direct government agencies but cannot alter existing laws, to effect policy change. In January, on his first day in office, he signed a slew of EOs with wide-ranging effects, from pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement to cutting the federal workforce, which had included nearly 300,000 scientists before he took office. Scientists and policy specialists have lambasted the latest EO on social media. 'This is a shocking executive order that undermines the very idea of open inquiry,' Casey Dreier, director of space policy for the Planetary Society, an advocacy group in Pasadena, California, posted to Bluesky. Also on Bluesky, Jeremy Berg, a former director of the NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, called it a 'power grab'. Speaking to Nature, he said: 'That power is something that has not been exercised at all in the past by political appointees.' In a statement, Zoe Lofgren, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from California, called the EO 'obscene'. It could lead to political appointees 'standing between you and a cutting-edge cancer-curing clinical trial', she said. The EO justifies the changes to the grant-awarding process by casting doubts on past choices: it accuses the US National Science Foundation (NSF) of awarding grants to educators with anti-American ideologies and to projects on diversity, equity and inclusion, which are disfavoured by the Trump team. It also points to senior researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Stanford University in California who have resigned over accusations of data falsification. To 'strengthen oversight' of grants, the EO imposes several restrictions, including prohibiting grants that promote 'illegal immigration' and prohibiting grant recipients from promoting 'racial preferences' in their work or denying that sex is binary. In some cases, the restrictions seem to contradict Congressional mandates. For instance, the NSF has, for decades, been required by law to broaden participation in science of people from under-represented groups — an action that takes race into consideration. In addition to these broader restrictions, the EO directs grant approvals to prioritize certain research institutions, such as those that have 'demonstrated success' in implementing the gold-standard science plan and those with lower 'indirect costs'. As part of its campaign to downsize government spending and reduce the power of elite US universities, the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cap these costs — used to pay for laboratory electricity and administrative staff, for instance. It has proposed a flat 15% rate for grants awarded by agencies such as the NSF and the US Department of Energy, but federal courts have so far blocked such policies. Some institutions with the highest indirect-cost rates are children's hospitals, Berg told Nature. 'Does that mean they're just not going to prioritize research at children's hospitals?' he asks. Out for review At the heart of the grant-awarding process is peer review. Project proposals have typically had to pass watchful panels of independent scientists who scored and approved funding. 'Nothing in this order shall be construed to discourage or prevent the use of peer review methods,' the EO notes, 'provided that peer review recommendations remain advisory' to the senior appointees. The EO worries many researchers, including Doug Natelson, a physicist at Rice University in Houston, Texas. 'This looks like an explicit attempt to destroy peer review for federal science grants,' he says. Programme officers at agencies, who have been stewards of the grant-review process, are similarly alarmed. 'The executive order is diminishing the role of programme officers and their autonomy to make judgments about the quality of the science,' says an NSF employee who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press. 'That's disheartening, to say the least.'
