The second week of August marks the arrival of two memorable celestial events, the Perseid meteor shower and the Supermoon. Scientists have stated that the metor shower will be harder to see because of the simultaneous events.
The Supermoon, also known as the Perigee moon, arrived at Britain's sky on Sunday night at 6 p.m. The Perigee moon this year was brighter and bigger compared to the previous years.
According to The Independent, the Perigee moon was 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter, which is why it could affect how well the Perseid meteor shower will be seen. On the other hand, the meteor shower starts on Saturday and will last until Wednesday.
Which is a rarer phenomenon? The Perseid meteor shower is. Apparently, the Supermoon appears three times a year. In 2014, it first appeared on July 12, the second will be this weekend and the last will be on September 9. This weekend's moon will be the brightest of all three.
Furthermore, Supermoons aren't that rare because they appear every 13 months and 18 days, according to Sky News. However, an average person might find it hard to differentiate a Supermoon from the usual full moon due to the clouds.
This is why stargazers are worried that they won't get an amazing view of the Perseid meteor shower, which only happens every August. Dr. Bill Cooke of NASA meteoroid environment office said that "Lunar glare wipes out the black, velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts."
But don't worry too much, director of the Society for Popular Astronomy's meteor section says that "The Perseids are rich in bright meteors and so many Perseids will still be seen despite the moonlit sky background." This should give hope to all stargazers.
If you're someone who also wants to see the meteor showers, it will happen from Saturday to Wednesday. This year, the Perseid meteor showers are predicted to peak between August 11 and August 13. Stargazers and astronomers advise the public to watch out for these showers just before dawn.
