In the Northern Hemisphere, the August Perseids are oftn ranked as everyone's all-time favorite meteor shower. The Perseids take place during the lazy, hazy days of northern summer, when many families are on vacation. And what could be more luxurious than taking a siesta from the heat of the day and watching this summertime classic in the cool of night? Plus, 2021 is an excellent year for this shower! No matter where you live worldwide, the 2021 Perseid meteor shower will probably produce the greatest number of meteors on the mornings of August 11, 12 and 13. On the peak mornings in 2021 – in the early morning hours, when the most meteors will be flying – there’ll be no moon to ruin on the show. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy this shower.
1. No special equipment, or knowledge of the constellations, needed.
2. Find a wide-open sky. These meteors will all come from a single point in the sky, their radiant point. More about that below. But, as you stand watching (and depending on what time of the night it is), you’ll see meteors streak across the sky in front of numerous constellations. A wide-open sky will give you the best show.
3. Watch from midnight to dawn. That’s when the part of Earth you’re standing on will be heading into the meteor stream in space. So you’ll see more meteors. By dawn, they’ll be raining down from overhead.
Here’s an added bonus for evening observing. If fortune smiles upon you, the evening hours might offer you an earthgrazer, a looooong, slow, colorful meteor traveling horizontally across the evening sky. Earthgrazer meteors are rare but memorable. Perseid earthgrazers appear before midnight, when the radiant point of the shower is close to the horizon.
4. You want a dark sky for watching meteors. In a dark sky, you may see up to 60 meteors per hour at the shower’s peak. Will you see over 100 per hour, as in some years? Perhaps. But you won’t know unless you look. To find a dark sky near you, check out EarthSky’s worldwide Best Places to Stargaze map.
5. Give yourself at least an hour of observing time, because the meteors in meteor showers come in spurts and are interspersed with lulls. Remember, your eyes can take as long as 20 minutes to adapt to the darkness of night. So don’t rush the process.
6. Enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair. Bring along some other things you might enjoy also, like a thermos filled with a hot drink.
7. If you must watch in moonlight, place yourself in the moon’s shadow. In 2021, the moon will be in a waxing crescent phase, setting in the west in early evening, as the Perseids peak. So the moon won’t be a factor for the Perseids’ peak this year. But maybe you want to start watching for Perseids in late July, when there’s a moon in the sky between midnight and dawn? If so, place some large structure or natural object – a barn, a cabin, a mountain – between you and the moon. You’ll see more meteors that way than if you’re standing out under the blazing moonlight itself.
8. Consider watching after the peak. People tend to focus on the peak mornings of meteor showers, and that’s entirely appropriate. But meteors in annual showers – which come from streams of debris left behind in space by comets – typically last weeks, not days. Perseid meteors usually start streaking the sky around July 17. They rise gradually to a peak, then fall off more rapidly. Still, we’ll see some Perseids – though at considerably reduced numbers – for some days after the peak mornings on August 11, 12 and 13.
9. Remember, all good things come to those who wait. Meteors are part of nature. There’s no way to predict exactly how many you’ll see on any given night. Find a good spot, watch, wait. You’ll see some.
10. Also remember, as the Perseids are rising to their peak, the Delta Aquariid meteor shower will still be rambling along steadily. You’ll see mostly Perseids, but also some Delta Aquariids in the mix. Never a dull moment in the sky!
