An artist's depiction of a shooting star...
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Courtesy of Corel Photography
1998 Perseids Meteor Shower
News story originally written on August 10, 1998
This summer (and its movies!) has brought with it an
awful lot of speculation about things hitting or falling into the Earth. Well, the speculation is over! The Perseids meteor shower makes its annual debut August 12th. It is likely that over 80
'shooting stars' per hour will be visible at dark viewing sites in the northern hemisphere.
The Perseids are probably the most famous of meteor showers. They begin in late July, and peak on August 12th. On August 12, the Moon is scheduled to rise at 11:30 p.m. EDT. Since it will be in gibbous phase, it will make the dimmer meteors harder to see. So the best viewing conditions may be before the Moon rises on the night of August 12th. To see the shower, look northeast towards the constellation of Perseus. Or locate the constellation of Casseopieia (the familiar 'W' or 'M' of the northern sky) and look to the southwest a bit from there. Remember to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark and bring that mosquito repellant!
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