Fast Facts
• Comet of Origin: 109P/Swift-Tuttle
• Radiant: Constellation Perseus
• Active: 17 July -- 24 Aug. 2014
• Peak Activity: 12-13 Aug. 2014
• Peak Activity Meteor Count: Up to 100 meteors per hour
• Meteor Velocity: 59 km (37 miles) per second

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How to See the Best Meteor Showers of the Year
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“The source of the Perseid meteor shower is Comet Swift Tuttle. Every 133 years the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and leaves behind a trail of dust and grit. When Earth passes through the debris zone, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus.”

According to NASA, ‘In a normal year, dark-sky observers typically count more than 100 Perseids per hour. But this is no normal year.

On August 10, 2014, just as the Perseids are set to peak, the Moon will become full. Moreover, it will become full just as it reaches the place in its orbit (perigee) that is closest to Earth. The perigee full Moon of August 10th –also known as a supermoon– will be as much as 14% closer and 30% brighter than other full Moons of the year.

"This is bad news for the Perseids," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "Lunar glare wipes out the black-velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts."

But there's good news, too.

The debris stream of Comet Swift-Tuttle is broad, and it is possible to see Perseids as early as late July, well before the Moon becomes full.
Also, notes Cooke, "the Perseids are rich in fireballs as bright as Jupiter or Venus. These will be visible in spite of the glare."’

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“The NASA's All Sky Fireball Network is a network of cameras are set up by the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO); they are used to observe meteors brighter than the planet Venus. Those cameras are specialized black and white video cameras with lenses that allow for a view of the whole night sky overhead. [ Ссылка ]

Credit: NASA's All Sky Fireball Network

Image credit: NASA

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