Look up, way up! The annual Perseids meteor shower peaks this week, producing regular flashes and the odd fireball through the overnight sky. (Dennis Di Cocco/Sky & Telescope)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

space show

Annual Perseids meteor shower lights up night sky

Aug 11, 2021 | 5:29 AM

NANAIMO — The stars have aligned for unobstructed views of an annual meteor shower sending flashes of streaks through the overnight sky.

VIU astronomy professor Dr. Gregory Arkos said the Perseids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Thursday, Aug. 12 before fading as the month progresses.

He told NanamoNewsNOW conditions are perfect to watch with little light pollution from the moon and no clouds expected to obscure the darting streaks of light.

“You can expect one or two meteors a minute, maybe even better than than in darker skies. They really are one of the best meteor showers to catch.”

Arkos recommended viewing after midnight in places free of urban light pollution if possible. He said it’s best not to use binoculars or a telescope, as the meteors zip so quickly in any given direction.

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Fragments of sand to gravel sized debris broken off from a comet traveling at thousands of kilometers an hour burn up while hitting Earth’s atmosphere, Arkos said.

“That’s the little flashes that we see. The bigger pieces, they may take a little more cooking to vaporize them — those are the longer ones, the fireballs.”

An added viewing bonus this year has Jupiter and Saturn visible in the southern part of the night sky.

Arkos said binoculars can pick up the four biggest moons on gas giant Jupiter.

“Those two objects are very bright and don’t twinkle…The fainter one is Saturn, the brighter one is Jupiter, they’ll be up all night.”

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