Perseid meteor shower is peaking; here are 5 things to know

The famous astronomer, astrophysicist and author Carl Sagan once said, “The sky calls to us.”

He could very easily have been referring to the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Each year from about late July to late August, a celestial laser light show graces the night sky in the form of a prolific meteor shower. The peak occurs this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — and this year there will be no full moon or much moon at all to steal the show from the flying meteors. Stargazers are fortunate that a new moon debuted on Sunday.

They won’t be as lucky next year when there will be a full moon to greet the meteors.

Here are five things to know about the Perseid meteor shower.

1. What causes the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseid meteor shower is caused by Earth crossing the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Meteors are bits of rock and ice ejected by comets as they orbit the sun. Debris from this comet spills into the comet’s orbit and bits and pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle crash into Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of 130,000 mph. The swiftly moving Perseid meteors, in turn, light up the night sky.

2. Why is it called the Perseid meteor shower?

“It is called the Perseid meteor shower because when we look at the sky we like to map things out by the constellations, which are the stars’ positions as they appear from here on Earth,” said Charissa Sedor, producer at the Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium. “It just so happens that the Perseid meteor showers appears to originate from the constellation of Perseus (named for the Greek mythological hero). That’s how most meteor showers are named, depending on which constellation they appear to originate from.”

3. What is the best time to view the Perseid meteor shower?

The pre-dawn hours between 4 and 6 a.m., when the sky is darkest. However, the folks at NASA say you can see the meteors as early as 10 p.m. It’s possible to view some 50 meteors per hour. Hope for clear skies and try to get away from city lights for optimal viewing.

4. What does the Perseid meteor shower look like?

The perseids show up as white or yellowish. They are known for displaying many bright and fragmenting meteors, like shooting stars, with long-lasting trains. Even though this space rubble is no bigger than grains of sand, friction releases the kinetic energy of particles in short-lived flashes of light, according to space.com. A larger particle, the size of a pebble, can create the effect of a “shooting star” as bright as a planet. A meteoroid the size of a marble can create a flash as bright as that of a full moon.

5. Does the Perseid meteor shower pose any danger to our planet?

“No. This is a very fun, safe way to watch a bunch of tiny collisions happen,” Sedor said. “They’re very small pieces that are moving extremely quickly, which is why they burn up in our atmosphere. If something happens to be big enough, it might make it down to the surface but most of these are going to burn out about 60 miles above our heads. So, we’re pretty safe in watching this one.”