Each month, we share a Star Gazing Guide presented and organized by The Great Orbax, a science communicator from the University of Guelph's Department of Physics and local science education advocate.
Greetings Star Gazers!
Orbax here.
I’m a Science Communicator from the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph and I’m here to fill you in on what our August night skies hold for the Astro-curious out there, young and old.
Each year, August marks the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. This epic shower boasts up to 60 meteors an hour at its peak which this year will be the night of Aug. 12 and the morning of Aug. 13.
As the Earth orbits the sun, it passes through not only space, but space debris. In the case of the Perseids, this debris comes from a comet, a giant ice ball travelling through space at speeds as fast as 40 km per second.
As it approaches the sun, the heat evaporates some of the ice, leaving a trail of dust and gas particles that we see as the comet’s tail. Now, this tail dissipates after time, but that dust just kind of stays out there in space. That is until the Earth gets near it, and those pieces left behind burn up in our atmosphere.
This is where shooting stars are born, or what we know as meteor showers, and the Perseids is one of the biggest of the year!
How do you spot it?
The radiant, where the meteors appear to come from, is the constellation Perseus in the northeast, but meteors should be visible anywhere in the sky. On Aug. 12, the moon will be setting around 11:30 p.m., which means the skies will be nice and dark by midnight to watch the show!
Now, if you happen to miss out or – as is always the danger with star gazing – it happens to be cloudy, then fear not. The Perseids are active between July 17 and Aug. 24, but your best bet is to get out there as close to the peak on Aug. 12 as you can.
I hope you enjoy this month’s Star Gazing Guide. If you want to learn more, check out the August Star Gazing Guide video on the Guelph Physics YouTube channel. Not only is Star Gazing a great way to learn about space, planets and the stars but it’s also a great way to spend time with other curious minds.
Until next month I wish you clear skies and I hope you take some time … to look up.
