Perseid meteor shower – next 24 hours

August 10, 2011

by tte-77

Best view of Perseid meteors could be before dawn 10-11 August

Although the actual peak date of the Perseid meteor shower will be 12-13 August (as mentioned in our August Astronomy Events post) the best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower might actually be today – Wednesday 10 August, during the dawn hours into Thursday.

At their peak, the Perseids commonly produce 50 or more meteors per hour – when the moon is out-of-the-way. This year, however, the full moon will shine from dusk till dawn on the peak night wiping out all but the brightest Perseid meteors. With this in mind working around the moon to optimize the view of the Perseids (summertime’s premier meteor shower) is probably the best call.

The best time will probably come in the next 24 hours dependent on your location.

At mid-northern latitudes in Europe the moon will set between 1am and 2am. The moon’s precise setting time, however, depends on where you reside within your time zone! Checkout the moonrise section at timeandate.com to check what is best for you.

Generally, you see the greatest number of Perseids in the hours before dawn (even on a totally moonless night). Given a dark, open sky away from pesky city lights, you might see 15-20 Perseid meteors per hour.

Although the predawn sky may present the best view of the 2011 Perseid shower, that won’t stop die-hard meteor enthusiasts from watching the Perseids starting now and throughout the weekend!

Good luck!

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Posted in Astronomy, Meteor, Night sky, tte-77 | Tagged 10 August, 13 August, 2011, Astronomy, best, camera, dawn, ESO, Europe, events, full moon, latitude, location, meteor, Moon, moonrise, Night, Northern Hemisphere, peak, Perseid, Perseids, photography, place, postaweek2011, see, shower, Sky, skywatching, space, telescope, time, tomorrow, tonight, view, VLT, watch, when, zone |

4 comments

Previously I was waiting to see perseid meteor on 12-13 August. Thanks for the information, I’ll check today before dawn.

by Al Jairo August 10, 2011 at 19:54

Reply
- Nice post dude
  
  While there will be slightly less per hour on 10 August, when the Moon is out of the way you should be able to see the fainter meteors a lot better
  
  Typical in England it’s forecast to be cloudy and wet the next few nights!
  
  by yaska77 August 10, 2011 at 19:59
  
  Reply
Awesome, I had overlooked this event because of the full moon; I’ll have to try to get out tonight after the moon sets.

by Daniel Lowe (@Daniel_Dragon) August 10, 2011 at 20:46

Reply
- Yeah same here! Not sure I can wait up for the Moon to set tho, 2:30am(ish) here
  
  by yaska77 August 10, 2011 at 21:01
  
  Reply

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