Community Corner

Perseids Meteor Shower 2012: Peak Time and Place to Watch in Brighton

Brighton viewers should be able to observe around 80 "shooting stars" per hour during this year's Perseid Meteor Shower on Aug. 11, 12.

Brighton residents will have optimal viewing of the 2012 Perseid Meteor shower to wish upon a falling - or shooting star!

According to Stardate.org, shooting stars and falling stars are both names that describe meteors - small bits of interplanetary rock and debris vaporizing high in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

The Perseid Meteor shower will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means Brighton viewers can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

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The meteor shower will come from the northeast, near the constellation of Perseus - the Greek hero which the shower is named after, and continue traveling across the sky.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

Find out what's happening in Brightonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

  • These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
  • The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
  • The weather in Brighton so far, is predicted to be clear, so you should have a good view.
  • The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
  • The shower began on July 23 and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
  • Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
  • Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
  • If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where to view:

  • You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot.  
  • Away from city lights, so the further you get from town, the better your view will be. 

If you snap a great photo of the shower, upload it to our Pics and Clips!


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