The Perseid Meteor Shower, a celestial event that lights up the night sky every year, started its remarkable display on 17th July 2019 and will continue to grace our view until 26th August 2019. During this period, spectators can observe an impressive range of 160 to 200 meteors illuminating the Earth’s atmosphere every hour. The meteors are fragments of cosmic debris left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet as it orbits around the Sun.
The Origin of the Perseids
The Perseid Meteor Shower owes its annual appearance to the comet Swift-Tuttle. This cosmic body circles the Sun once in every 133 years, leaving a trail of debris in its path. The debris forms a cloud that is approximately 27 km wide. When our planet passes through this comet waste, the friction causes the pieces of debris to burn up and disintegrate. This process occurs roughly 100 km above the Earth’s surface and at an incredible speed of approximately 214,000 km/h.
Interestingly, the Perseids currently witnessed are not remnants of the Swift-Tuttle comet from its latest orbit in 1992. Instead, these meteors are likely left from prior passes, indicating the longevity of this celestial waste.
Meteor Showers Explained
Meteor showers occur when the Earth navigates through a cloud of comet waste. Comets are large, frigid chunks of matter that eject trails of rocks and ice as they traverse space. These trails persist long after the comets have moved on, marking their journey. As Earth moves through this debris-littered path, the fragments burn up, resulting in a spectacle akin to a fireworks display in the night sky.
Each meteor shower gets its name from the location of the radiant, the apparent point from which the meteors appear to originate. In the case of the Perseids, the radiant is situated in the constellation Perseus. Similarly, the Geminid meteor shower, which occurs in December, has a radiant within the Gemini constellation.
Relevant Facts about the Perseid Meteor Shower
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Originating Comet | Swift-Tuttle |
| Comet’s Orbit Period | 133 years |
| Debris Cloud Width | 27 km |
| Meteor Speed | Approximately 214,000 km/h |
| Meteors per Hour | 160-200 meteors |
The Naming of Meteor Showers
The nomenclature of meteor showers is derived from the point in the sky where they appear to originate. This point, referred to as the ‘radiant’, usually lies within a specific constellation. For instance, the radiant for the Perseids is within the Perseus constellation, thus earning it its name. Similarly, the Geminid meteor shower visible in December is named after the Gemini constellation, where its radiant is positioned.
