A clash of stellar events will cause the Perseid meteor shower of 2022 to disappear from the night sky. That’s what we know.
Each August, to mark the end of summer, two astronomical phenomena dazzle the celestial vault. The first of these is the sturgeon moon, the last supermoon of the year. It appears in the night sky around the second weekend of the month, filling the night with its pale glow. The second of them is the appearance of the Perseids: the most intense meteor shower of the year.
This year, according to the calculations of Space, it could be that the brightness of the Sturgeon Moon eclipses the Perseid meteor shower. Above all, to the misfortune of astronomical observers, because the moon will come closest to the earth just at the height of the meteor shower. That’s what we know.
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At the “worst time of the year”
In 2022, the Perseid meteor shower will arrive at the “worst time of the year”according describe NASA’s monster astronomer who runs the Bureau of Meteoroid Environment at Marshall Space Flight Center.
“Unfortunately, this year’s Perseid peak will see the worst possible circumstances for observers,” Cooke said in a statement. “[…] this year during the normal peak the full moon will reduce this to 10-20 [meteoros] per hour at best.
Generally, seen from the North of the American continent, “one would see 50 or 60 meteors per houraccording to NASA. However, this year, the most intense point of the astronomical phenomenon will overlap the intense brightness of the last supermoon of the year.
Why are the Perseids in August?
In mid-August, our planet meets the cloud of dust and debris from comet Swift-Tuttleone of the densest in Earth’s orbit and responsible for the Perseidsone of the star showers the most intense of the year, according we explain in previous years.
To take advantage of this astronomical phenomenon no need to use a telescope or other optical instrument: all you have to do is find a site with the least amount of light pollution and the widest possible view of the celestial vault. It is perhaps one of the most colorful astronomical events in August, and It will merge with the Sturgeon Supermoon.
We suggest: How to see the Perseids, the most intense and spectacular meteor shower of 2021
When are the Perseids 2022?
According to the archives of the National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN), this rain of celestial bodies appears every year around August 12. Locally it is called “Tears of Saint Laurent”since it happens very close to the Spanish Feast of the Martyr.
This year, however, the Perseid meteor shower will arrive this 2022 on August 13 and 14. It will only be visible from the northern hemisphere of the planet and unfortunately it is possible that it will be seen drowned out by the dominating glow of the last supermoon of the year. We won’t know, however, until the second week of the month, when the two astronomical phenomena will parade through the celestial vault.
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