Forbes Innovation Science Exactly When To See The Perseid Meteor Shower Peak From Every U. S. State Jamie Carter Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky Following Aug 3, 2023, 07:15pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on August 12/13, 2023. VCG via Getty Images The annual Perseid meteor shower has begun and you need to start thinking about planning a visit to a dark sky destination for the peak night on August 12/13, 2023. When to look for the Perseids—which are expected to number 50-75 “shooting stars” per hour at their maximum, according to the American Meteor Society —depends partly on when the actual peak is, but also on where you observe from.
However, the Perseids are a long meteor shower so you can start looking for meteors right now. Here’s everything you need to know about the peak of the Perseid meteor shower and when you’ll likely see the most “shooting stars” from every U. S.
state: MORE FROM FORBES The Perseid Meteor Shower Has Begun: When To See It At Its Best By Jamie Carter Time and Date of the Perseids Peak in 2023 The Perseids run from July 14 through September 1 in 2023 and will peak on August 12/13. MORE FOR YOU When And Where To Watch The Perseid Meteor Shower—One Of The Biggest Of The Year See Gorgeous Photos Of The August Supermoon Shining Over The World In Photos: ‘Supermoon’ Dazzles Sky-Watchers Around The World The American Meteor Society states that the exact peak is at 04:00 Universal Time (UTC/GMT) on August 13. Rates will fall by half on the nights on either side.
That peak time translates to the evening of August 12 for all of North America—and to these specific times in all U. S. timezones: 12:00 a.
m. EDT on Sunday, August 13. 11 p.
m. CDT on Saturday, August 12. 9 p.
m. EDT on Saturday, August 12. 10 p.
m. MDT on Saturday, August 12. 8 p.
m. PDT on Saturday, August 12. However, the peak of the Perseids stretches for about eight hours on either side of that peak, according to Sky At Night , with little difference in rates of “shooting stars.
” That makes it simple to plan a “shooting star” session for the Perseids this year—you just need to do it when the skies are at their darkest. MORE FROM FORBES Where To See The Perseid Meteor Shower At Its Best: Eight Dark Places To Book Now By Jamie Carter When to Look for the Perseids on Peak Night in 2023 Wherever you observe from in North America (or anywhere in the northern hemisphere) on the peak night it’s not going to be properly dark until about 10 p. m.
(about two hours after sunset) through about 4 a. m. (about two hours before sunrise).
It makes sense that you want it to be dark, but it helps if the sun is as far below the horizon as possible. That leaves your location in the middle of the night-side of Earth. That’s going to be around 2 a.
m. local time wherever you are. Crucially, as well as it being as dark a night sky as possible, at that time the radiant point of the Perseids—the constellation of Perseus—will be highest in the night sky.
You don’t need to look right at Perseus to see the meteors, but the higher in the sky it is, the better. So plan on observing between 10 p. m.
and 4 a. m. wherever you are in the northern hemisphere—taking breaks that are long enough that your enthusiasm isn’t sapped—and you’ll have the best chance of seeing the best of whatever the Perseid meteor shower produces.
These times apply to any night before or after the peak night, too, but it’s overnight on August 12/13 you should aim for. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .
Check out my website or some of my other work here . Jamie Carter Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.
From: forbes
URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2023/08/03/exactly-when-to-see-the-perseid-meteor-shower-peak-from-every-us-state/
