Perseids peak overnight, weather bliss continues
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It's good to feel like the Maytag Weather Repairman these days. Weather Lab window wide open. Feet up on the desk. Long naps on the Doppler.
2014 has been an arduous weather year until recently. Polar Vortex. June Monsoon. Water, water everywhere.
We deserve to soak up the latest round of weather bliss this week in Minnesota.
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Perseids peak overnight
A little summer insomnia lately? You may actually have something to do between 3 and 4 am local time overnight. That's when the "peak" of the annual Perseid meteor shower hits according to NASA.
2014 Perseids Forecast
This year the Perseids will peak during the night and early morning hours of 12 and 13 of August. Unfortunately, a nearly full moon (Supermoon) will make it difficult to view the year's best meteor shower. However, you may still be able to see a few fireballs.
Watch a live stream of the meteor shower starting tonight (12 Aug.) at 6:30 p.m. PDT (9:30 p.m. EDT or 13 Aug., 1:30 UTC).
Fast Facts
Comet of Origin: 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Radiant: Constellation Perseus
Active: 17 July -- 24 Aug. 2014
Peak Activity: 12-13 Aug. 2014
Peak Activity Meteor Count: Up to 100 meteors per hour
Meteor Velocity: 59 km (37 miles) per second
About the Meteor Shower
The Perseids, which peak during mid-August, are considered to be the best meteor shower of the year. With very fast and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through the Earth's atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers (50-100 meteors seen per hour) and occurs with warm summer nighttime weather, allowing sky watchers to easily view the shower.
Perseids are also known for their fireballs. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Fireballs are also brighter, with magnitudes brighter than -3.
Viewing Tips
The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though at times it is possible to view meteors from this shower as early as 10:00 p.m.. Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient -- the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Our brightest supermoon in 20 years has dimmed the show a bit, but there are still reports of fireballs streaking across the night sky. NASA says get in the shadow of your favorite tree and give your eyes time to adjust and you may still see a good show.
Hi everyone! Tonight (Aug. 12-13) is the peak of the 2014 Perseid meteor shower. Since we're getting many more comments, I won't be able to respond individually to questions about local viewing times. Please check the map above to see if your area can view Perseids. If you can, then you may see meteors any time after dark, but the projected peak viewing is 3-4 a.m your local time. This is true for all time zones, all locations across the world.
Areas marked best visibility: 30-40 meteors/hour during 3-4 a.m. peak
Areas marked low visibility: up to 10 meteors/hour during 3-4 a.m. peak
Areas marked very low visibility: up to 5 meteors/hour during 3-4 a.m. peak
Live Ustream coverage begins at 9:30 p.m. EDT (that's 1:30 a.m. UTC). The live chat begins at 11 p.m. EDT (or 3;00 a.m. UTC).
To view the Perseids, find clear, dark skies away from city lights. Give your eyes about 45 minutes to adjust to the dark, then look straight up to see as much sky as possible. If you have partly cloudy skies, you might still see bright meteors. If it's totally cloudy or raining, you won't see meteors, but our Ustream feed might help. Good luck!
Rather watch them on the interwebs? Here's the live NASA stream.
Weather paradise continues
Does your favorite weather person get a bonus for good weather?
I'll settle for a hug.
Our windows open, good sleeping weather, what you see is what you get forecast rolls on this week.
We'll work on the timing for weekend rains, but living in the weather moment is pretty glorious for now.