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Economic Times
a day ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Perseids 2025: How to watch the year's best meteor shower despite full moon? NASA's secret tips
Synopsis The annual Perseids meteor shower will peak next week. But, it may not be as spectacular as in previous years. A full moon during the peak on August 12 and 13 will likely obscure the view. NASA warns that the bright moon will wash out fainter meteors. Skygazers might see fewer meteors than usual. TIL Creatives Perseid meteor shower 2025 will peak on August 12–13, 2025, despite a nearly full Sturgeon Moon in the sky. The annual Perseids meteor shower will reach its peak next week but skygazers and space enthusiasts may be disappointed as astronomers say it won't be as visible as it has been in recent years. The Perseids shower is considered one of if not the best of the year, mainly due to it being summer in the northern hemisphere, when the skies tend to be clear (unless there's smoke) and the weather is warmer.A full moon is also expected during the peak — August 12 into the 13th — and will likely wash out the view, according to NPR. Sky watchers might be facing a major obstacle in your attempt to observe this year's Perseid performance, namely, the moon. The Perseids remain one of the best meteor showers each year, but stargazers will have to deal with another bright object in the sky obscuring their view as the shower reaches its max in 2025, according to space agency NASA. ALSO READ: How to make Spaghetti in Grow a Garden: Check secret cooking tips, recipe books and rewards NASA has warned that a waning gibbous Moon will brighten the skies as it rises on the nights of August 12 and 13, when Perseids are most active this year. Skywatchers in the Northern hemisphere could see fewer than half the number of meteors usually seen on a dark summer night during the shower's peak. 'The average person under dark skies could see somewhere between 40 and 50 Perseids per hour,' said Bill Cooke, lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. 'Instead, you're probably going to see 10 to 20 per hour or fewer, and that's because we have a bright Moon in the sky washing out the fainter meteors.' "A few bright meteors may still be seen in the predawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal," NASA said. ALSO READ: $5,108 Social security August payment coming next week: Will you receive it? What to do if money doesn't arrive? This year, the Perseids began on July 17, and it will be visible until August 23, NASA says. In an hour, one could see about 25 meteors. Characteristics of the Perseids include bright fireballs and long "wakes," the streak of light and color that follow NASA recommends trying to catch a glimpse of the Perseids before dawn, you may be able to see some meteors as early as 10 p.m. They are most visible in the Northern Perseids show up throughout the nighttime hours, the best chance to see them will be between midnight and dawn – or, even more specifically, 2 and 3 a.m. local time, according to NASA. ALSO READ: These US states ban processed junk food purchases with SNAP benefits. Is yours on the list? 'You're not going to see Perseids around suppertime,' Cooke said. 'You're going to have to go out later.'When you do venture out, aim for a safe, rural spot with a wide view of the sky. If you can see plenty of stars, chances are, you'll see Perseids – but remember Cooke's other piece of advice: 'Look anywhere but at the Moon.'Robert Lunsford, an observer with the American Meteor Society, recommends facing north and settling in."Don't go outside and stand," he told NPR. "You'll get really tired and bored quick. Get a nice lounge chair where you're comfortable."And be patient. "Sometimes you go 10, 15 minutes without seeing anything, and all of a sudden, four or five will show up in the same minute. So they're notorious for appearing in bunches like that," he said. ALSO READ: Kristi Noem kills puppies, Vance as Trump servant: South Park mocks US President's admin again in its latest episode The Perseid meteor shower may be an annual event for Earth, but the comet responsible for the meteors hasn't been near our planet in decades. The meteors are debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which last visited our region of the solar system in the Earth makes it way around the Sun, it passes through the debris trail left by the comet. These space remnants collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the the meteors are part of a comet's debris trail, they seem to radiate outward from the Perseus constellation. This is how the meteor shower got its name: comets orbit the sun, they leave a trail of dust and particles, including meteors, behind them. The Perseids meteors originate from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which has a nucleus of about 16 miles wide, and takes more than 130 years to circle the Sun.
CNN
29-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
Where to see the meteor showers this week
Sky-gazers may get a good chance to see fireballs streak across the night sky this week. Two meteor showers — the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids — will reach their peak and another is ramping up. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower, which is best known for producing very bright meteors called fireballs that may look like shooting stars, will be most visible at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. Its radiant — the point at which the meteor streaks seem to originate — is in the Capricorn constellation. The Alpha Capricornids are visible all over the world but are usually best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, in places such as Australia and Africa, according to Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. These meteors are expected to appear at a rate of three to five per hour. If you are viewing from the Northern Hemisphere, keep your eyes low along the southern sky to catch a glimpse. If you stay up later, you'll be able to see the Southern Delta Aquariids reach peak activity at 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, said Lunsford. The Southern Delta Aquariids, which also are most visible in the Southern Hemisphere, make for a stronger shower than the Capricornids; people located in parts of the Northern Hemisphere such as the US can expect to view up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour, while those in the Southern Hemisphere may see 20 to 25 per hour. The Aquariids appear to stream from the southern part of the Aquarius constellation, which is around 40 degrees east of the Capricorn constellation, according to Lunsford: 'They're going to kind of do a battle, shooting back and forth at each other.' Both showers will be visible through August 13, though there is some disagreement about the date on which their peaks will occur. While experts at the American Meteor Society say peak activity will occur Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, those at NASA say it will happen Wednesday night going into Thursday. 'The time of a meteor shower peak is not constant from year-to-year. It can vary by plus or minus a day or two,' Cooke said. But missing the peak, according to Lunsford, is nothing to fret about. 'It's not a real sharp peak …You can go out (on) the 31st or the 29th and see pretty much the same activity.' For the best viewing, avoid areas with bright lights and objects that could obscure your view of the sky, such as tall trees or buildings. Picking a spot with a higher altitude, like a mountain or hill, may make it easier to spot these showers. According to Cook, having multiple meteor showers occur at the same time is a common phenomenon. 'For example, during the Perseids, you have the remnants of the Southern Delta Aquariids going on,' he said. Right now, the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids are all active and while the Perseids is not at its peak , you might still see some of its meteors this week. There's also the possibility of seeing 10 to 12 meteors that aren't associated with any of these showers, according to Lunsford. Both the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids become visible annually when Earth passes through debris fields left by two Jupiter-family comets: 169P/NEAT (Alpha Capricornids) and P2008/Y12 (Southern Delta Aquariids). Cook also noted that, each year, 'we're passing closer to the core of the material that produces (the Alpha Capricornids) shower and in 200 years, it'll be the strongest shower that's visible from Earth. It'll actually produce more than 1,000 (meteor streaks) an hour, which is quite a bit stronger than it is now.' For those interested in contributing to astronomers' understanding of meteors, this week presents the perfect opportunity to count how many meteors you see in the night sky and report them to places like the American Meteor Society. Here are the other meteor showers to anticipate in 2025 and their peak dates, according to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky. Perseids: August 12-13 Draconids: October 8-9 Orionids: October 22-23 Southern Taurids: November 3-4 Northern Taurids: November 8-9 Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22 Look out for five more full moons this year, with supermoons occurring in October, November and December. Here's the list of full moons remaining in 2025, according to the Farmers' Almanac: August 9: Sturgeon moon September 7: Corn moon October 6: Harvest moon November 5: Beaver moon December 4: Cold moon Two eclipse events will occur as summer ends. A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska and Antarctica on September 7 and 8, according to Time and Date. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes exactly between the sun and the moon, throwing the latter into shadow and making it appear darker or dimmed. When the moon sits in the darkest part of Earth's shadow, the sun's rays bend around Earth and refract light on the moon's surface, which gives it a reddish hue, according to London's Natural History Museum. Some people call the result a 'blood moon.' Two weeks after the total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Antarctica on September 21. Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking part of the sun's surface from view, according to NASA. This creates a crescent shape — as if something took a 'bite' out of the sun. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
The Hill
27-06-2025
- Science
- The Hill
‘Fireball' reported across Southeastern US
Scientists said a fireball was seen blazing across the sky on Thursday was the result of a burning meteor. The meteor was first seen at an altitude of 48 miles above the town of Oxford, Ga., moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour around noon Eastern time, according to Bill Cooke from NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. People across the Carolinas and Virginia caught a glimpse of the imploding object earlier in the afternoon. 'It disintegrated 27 miles above West Forest, Georgia, unleashing an energy of about 20 tons of TNT. The resulting pressure wave propagated to the ground, creating booms heard by many in that area,' Cooke said in a Thursday statement. The fireball was produced by an asteroidal fragment 3 feet in diameter, weighing over a ton, according to the scientist. 'At this time, we do not have any information on where the meteor may have landed,' Newton County sheriff's office said in a statement.
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
When, where to see Eta Aquariid meteors, formed from Halley's comet debris, as the shower peaks tonight
Meteors from the Eta Aquariids, created by space debris left behind by the famous Halley's Comet, are set to zoom across the sky as the meteor shower peaks tonight. The Eta Aquariids will peak from Monday night through Tuesday morning, according to NASA. Astronomy fans hoping to enjoy the meteors can check local forecasts for detailed information on how clear the night sky will be in various locations. Under optimal conditions, about 50 Eta Aquariid meteors can be seen per hour during the shower's peak. But light from the waxing moon will wash out the fainter meteors this year, according to Bill Cooke, who leads NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. Viewers can expect 10-15 meteors per hour just before dawn on Tuesday morning. When and where to see the Eta Aquariids While the shower will peak from May 5 to May 6, the shower will be active until May 21. To catch the meteors at their peak, NASA advises going outside around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The moon will set by around 3 a.m., leaving skies dark until dawn. The shower will be viewable in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres but the conditions will be better in the Southern Hemisphere. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower, best observed in the predawn hours away from city lights, is a mesmerizing celestial event cherished by skywatchers worldwide. Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images Viewers should find an area away from lights, then lie on their backs with their feet facing east. NASA advises viewers should look away from the moon and give their eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. Avoid looking at bright lights, such as a cellphone. Bring a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair to keep comfortable while waiting for the meteors. What are meteor showers? Meteors, space rocks that enter Earth's atmosphere, streak through the sky every day. But meteor showers — when many meteors hit Earth's atmosphere over a short period of time — happen less frequently. When meteors pass through the atmosphere, they leave streaks of light behind them, giving them the appearance of a shooting star. Most meteors burn up as they fall toward Earth, but some survive the trip and are then considered meteorites. What makes the Eta Aquariids unique The Eta Aquariids are known for their speed. The Eta Aquariids travel about 40 miles per second. Eta Aquarid meteors in the Northern Hemisphere are often earthgrazers — long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon, according to NASA. Meteors in the Eta Aquariids come from space debris that originated from Halley's comet. Halley sheds a layer of ice and dust into space each time it returns to the inner solar system. The shed space dust forms two meteor showers a year: the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October. Those hoping to see Halley itself will have to wait a while. Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the sun and will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
When, where to see Eta Aquariid meteors as the shower peaks this month
Eta Aquariids are set to zoom across the sky as the meteor shower peaks tonight. The Eta Aquariids will peak from Monday night through Tuesday morning, according to NASA. Astronomy fans hoping to enjoy the meteors can check local forecasts for detailed information on how clear the night sky will be in various locations. Under optimal conditions, about 50 Eta Aquariid meteors can be seen per hour during the shower's peak. But light from the waxing moon will wash out the fainter meteors this year, according to Bill Cooke, who leads NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. Viewers can expect 10-15 meteors per hour just before dawn on Tuesday morning. When and where to see the Eta Aquariids While the shower will peak from May 5 to May 6, the shower will be active until May 21. To catch the meteors at their peak, NASA advises going outside around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The moon will set by around 3 a.m., leaving skies dark until dawn. The shower will be viewable in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres but the conditions will be better in the Southern Hemisphere. Viewers should find an area away from lights, then lie on their backs with their feet facing east. NASA advises viewers should look away from the moon and give their eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. Avoid looking at bright lights, such as a cellphone. Bring a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair to keep comfortable while waiting for the meteors. What are meteor showers? Meteors, space rocks that enter Earth's atmosphere, streak through the sky every day. But meteor showers — when many meteors hit Earth's atmosphere over a short period of time — happen less frequently. When meteors pass through the atmosphere, they leave streaks of light behind them, giving them the appearance of a shooting star. Most meteors burn up as they fall toward Earth, but some survive the trip and are then considered meteorites. What makes the Eta Aquariids unique The Eta Aquariids are known for their speed. The Eta Aquariids travel about 40 miles per second. Eta Aquarid meteors in the Northern Hemisphere are often earthgrazers — long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon, according to NASA. Meteors in the Eta Aquariids come from space debris that originated from Halley's comet. Halley sheds a layer of ice and dust into space each time it returns to the inner solar system. The shed space dust forms two meteor showers a year: the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October. Former treasury secretary on Trump's tariffs alarming American businesses Millions of Americans brace for federal student loan collections to resume Newark airport travel woes continue as staffing issues persist
