MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) – Every year, the Earth crashes through a trail of debris, leading to the annual Perseid Meteor Shower.
“We’ll have debris hitting our atmosphere that’s about the size of a grain of sand. It will light up and become what we call a meteor,” says Barlow Planetarium Director Alan Peche, “It’s actually what’s left behind from a comet called Swift Tuttle. That goes around the Sun about every 130 years, and it came by about a decade ago.”
Those grain-sized pieces usually hit the Earth’s atmosphere at about 40,000-50,000 miles per hour and get vaporized about sixty miles above our heads. Peche says that’s well above where even a passenger jet flies, but remains well below the International Space Station.
“When we see those meteors streak across our sky, it’s not the meteor speed that is causing them to streak – it’s the Earth plowing through the meteor stream,” Peche explains, “You’re going down the road at night and see all the bugs streaking by through your headlights – the bugs aren’t going 55 miles an hour, you’re going 55 miles an hour.”
While it shouldn’t be hard to catch at least one meteor streaking through the sky, there are some optimal conditions to look for when making an effort to observe the phenomenon. One of those conditions – avoiding bright lights. One major issue – the moon is a bright light.
“The moon comes up around midnight and stays up all the way until sunrise. And the problem is – that’s the best time to view the meteors,” Peche says, “When we see that motion, we need to be on the front of the Earth. The only time we’re on the front of the Earth is between midnight and noon – but we also need it to be dark. So the best time to see any meteor shower is the hours following midnight to sunrise…You should be able to see a meteor every couple or few minutes. If you’re lucky, you might see one a minute. But even that is better than going out and not seeing any. ”
But even with that potential hassle, Peche still encourages people to check out the meteor shower. The best part – you don’t need a telescope. Peche even discourages using optical tools.
“Get a very comfortable lawn chair and go some place with some friends, then set up and look just in the general vicinity of the east…You want to see as much of the sky as possible, so when something happens you can get your attention to it,” Peche tells WTAQ News, “It’s not like we’re going out to look at the moon, where we know exactly where it’s going to be and we can put the telescope on it. The meteor can happen any place in the sky, and the bigger view you’re looking at, the better chance you’ll have of seeing them…One way to look at this is like you’re going to a football field, but putting all of your attention on a one-square-yard section of the field and just staring at that, hoping something is going to happen there. What you want to do is watch the whole field.”
While it might not look like a fireworks show, Peche says it’s still exciting to see a meteor – especially when you consider the rarity of such events.
One more reminder: There is a difference between meteors and meteorites. Meteorites make it to the ground, unlike most other meteors that burn up in the atmosphere.
For more information about the Barlow Planetarium, click here.
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