Best time to watch Perseid Meteor Shower 2009
The Perseid Meteor Shower which happens every August is expected the best time to watch on 11-12 August, Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
Astronomers are estimating a double peak this year for viewers in the eastern portion of North America on Wednesday morning August 12. One peak should occur around 1:00 a.m. EST and the other peak around 5:30 a.m. EST.
The Perseid Meteor Shower is also called the Tears of St. Lawrence because it occurs roughly about the same date as St. Lawrence's death on August 10.
“The Perseids regularly produce 50 to 150 meteors per hour -- more than 1 per minute. This year's peak hourly rate is expected to be on the low end of the range, likely around 50,” according to space.com.
The shower is made up of tiny particles of dust, remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle, that move around the sun in an orbit.
As the Earth passes through the meteor stream every year, the dust particles burn in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing a radiant glow.
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