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NightwatchAugust, 2008August sees one of the most spectacular annual meteor showers of the whole year, the Perseids. On a clear night we can expect to see at least 75 meteors per hour as it reaches its peak on the 13th of the month. Annual meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the dusty trail left by a passing comet, in this case the Swift-Tuttle comet. As these particles of dust enter our atmosphere, they start to burn up because of friction and we see them as shooting stars or meteors. Particles of dust enter our atmosphere every day and you can potentially see a shooting star any night of the year. However, we can predict annual meteor showers because we know where and when the Earth will pass through these comet trails. The planet Jupiter will be prominent this month, low down in the southern half of the sky; look for it just above the roofs of houses in the distance. The summer triangle dominates the sky in August, but another prominent constellation to look out for is Boötes ('The Herdsman') with its main star Arcturus. Arcturus is a Greek word meaning 'keeper of the bears' and refers to the way the constellation follows Ursa Major around the sky. Arcturus, the fourth brightest star in the sky is nearing the end of its life. It was once very like our Sun in size and is a possible snapshot of the Sun in the future when the Sun will expand and swallow up the inner planets. Nightwatch ArchiveBrowse by year: 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | Annual meteor shower chart |
