Earth is a really cool planet and among the coolest things it has to offer is a spectacular display of heavenly bodies on a giant screen we call the sky. From among the numerous exciting natural phenomena that humans get to experience in their lifetimes are meteor showers. The Perseid meteor showers we are about to experience are an annual even which lights up the sky in a fashion that has many refering to them as 'fireworks in summer'.
These all natural "fireworks" that take plane every year sometimes occur at higher rates that usual. Like 2009, this year is just a lucky time for star gazers since its going to be a time for a meteor "outburst". That simply means that a very high rate of meteros will be visible shooting across the sky due to an interplay of gravitational forces.
This rate is predicted to reach its peak on August 12, 2016 with 200 meteors per hour and although the numbers will dwindle, the phonemenon will continue till Aug 24.
Interestingly, this year's meteors are debri from a very funny sounding comet 'Swift Turtle'. The debri is scattered when the comet passes near the sun ever 133 years. Therefore when the earth follows, we get to have a natural display of fireworks in our night sky.
Experts have explained that earth's natural annual fireworks show will be an 'outburst' this year because Jupiter and Saturn will deflect these meteors in Earth's direction. Only if there was a way to thank them for lighting up our sky!
While the meteor shower will be best visible from the Northern Hemisphere, the good news for star lovers is that they won't need telescopes or fancy binoculars to see the stars. Many have recommended that people should look at the sky just before dawn in order to get the best view of the spectacle. Also, it is the country side and not the glittering city where you will be able to make most of this meteor outburst.
Meanwhile, some also believe that it is impossible to accurately predict such phenomena although the predictions might be more or less correct. Another reason for some dismay is that the fullmoon will be complete on 18th which is why 12th might not be the best time to see the starry fireworks. This has led many to schedule their stargazing expeditions in the week before the fullmoon, which is actully a smart thing to do incase you're considering camping outside. All the best and don't miss the show.
