Look Up

Although meteors can come from anywhere in the sky, it’s possible to tell which meteor shower they’re coming since all showers usually come from a constellation. This is called the radiant point. The radiation point for the Perseid meteor shower is Perseus. It can be found below Cassiopeia and slightly to the left. This constellation is what’s called circumpolar, meaning it’s above the horizon all night. That also means that the best time to start looking for meteors is right after dusk. Yet only the tip of Perseus is visible after sunset and we can’t even see it after sunset because it’s so close to the horizon but it will become visible in its entirety after midnight. Then it doesn’t reach its highest point until 7 a.m. so the other best time to see meteors is right before dawn.

The radiant point for the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is the constellation Capricornus. This isn’t one we have explored yet but we can still find. If you start from Cassiopeia, to the right of it is the square of Pegasus then to the right of it, at like a 45-degree angle, is Capricornus. The radiant for the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower is in the constellation Aquarius. Again, we haven’t explored this one but can find it from the square of Pegasus. Below Pegasus is the circle of Pisces and below Pisces is Aquarius. The radiant point for the Kappa Cygnid is Draco.

If you recall from previous Look Ups, meteors occur when our planet passes through a stream of dust and debris left behind by a passing comet or asteroid. This space dust and debris are called meteoroids. They range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere or that of another planet, they enter at such a high speed that they burn up. These fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors. When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and makes it to the surface of our planet, it’s then called a meteorite. Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle is responsible for creating the Perseid shower.

To see the maximum number of meteors, it’s best to get away from light pollution and avoid city lights. Any hill out in the countryside works. Mountaintops are also great viewing locations because they are usually high enough to reduce haze from air and light pollution. Consider planning a drive or even a camping trip. It usually takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark. To avoid a stiff neck, bring a reclining lawn chair or a sleeping bag for the ground or find a slight incline so that your head will be higher than your feet. The windshield of a car works perfectly but is not warm. Having extra blankets is helpful, as well as an extra layer of clothes – it’s hard to stay warm when you’re not moving around.

Look Up appears in the weekend edition. If you have any astronomical questions or facts you’d like to share email news@smdailyjournal.com with the subject line “Look Up.”