Earth is entering the debris stream of comet Swift-Tuttle, and this is causing the annual Perseid meteor shower. According to the International Meteor Organization, observers are now counting as many as 25 meteors per hour during the dark hours before dawn.  The best is yet to come. Earth is approaching the heart of the debris stream, causing meteor rates to increase rapidly. On peak-night, Thursday, August 12th, observers could count as many as 100 Perseids per hour. 

I've seen just a few meteors in the past few nights. Since most of us work for a living, it's hard viewing a meteor shower that falls during a weeknight. But this is one meteor shower I don't plan on missing. The peak night isn't the only night to see meteors. Meteors can be seen any night of the year, but of course, those times around scheduled meteor showers are the best times. The Perseid shower goes on for weeks, with sporadic meteors every night leading up to peak night, and then for several nights that follow.

I've been "testing the waters" so to speak by stepping outside just after Midnight to see how many meteors I could spot. Saturday night I saw 1 meteor from midnight until 12:10 AM. I used a ten minute time period each night just as a scale to measure rate increase. Sunday night I saw two meteors during that same time period. Monday night I counted 3, and I also saw 3 last night. For the first 10 minutes after Midnight, that's not a bad showing. The rate should increase a bit tonight (Wednesday night), with the big show coming up Thursday night.

Why is it that we tend to see more meteors after midnight, rather than during the dark hours before?

The reason for this is simple and has to do with the rotation of Earth. Following sunset, you are basically on the trailing edge of our planet as we move around the sun. Any meteors that you see have had to catch up to Earth, but many meteors move slower than our planet and will not catch up at all. After midnight, Earth's rotation has now placed you on the leading edge of our planet as we move around the sun. We are now sweeping up slow particles, while the faster particles are entering our atmosphere at much higher speeds than before midnight. Higher speeds means the meteors will also be brighter. So, in general, we tend to see more meteors, and brighter meteors during the pre-dawn hours. 

Tonight and tomorrow night, I will be out with my camera to see if I can capture photos of some of the Perseid meteors. This is going to make for some long days at work Thursday and Friday, but if I can manage to catch a few meteors it will be worth it. Of course, any images I get will be shared here.

If you live in a fairly dark area, without a lot of light pollution washing out the sky, Step outside after midnight and take a look. Remember, Thursday night will be the best night to observe. If you can allow yourself even a half hour or so after Midnight to observe, I'm sure you'll see enough meteors to whet your appetite. The longer you're able to watch, the more meteors you'll see. Just don't make yourself too late for work the next morning. :)