A Stellar Spectacle

For Missouri stargazers, the Perseid meteor shower is one of the most anticipated events of the year. During its peak, you can see between 100 and 200 meteors per hour. We can think of no better reason to stay up late.

By Natalie-Elizabeth Tan Soon you’ll be able to wish on hundreds of shooting stars. Well, sort of. The Perseid Meteor shower will hit its peak on the evenings of Aug. 11 and 12. From midnight to dawn, you can witness this annual cosmic event—one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year—light up the night sky with dazzling streaks of light, making for one breathtaking experience for stargazers. A meteor shower occurs when tiny dust particles from a comet enter our atmosphere and burn up, creating bright “shooting stars” in the sky. “When a comet is traveling within our solar system, it leaves behind some debris, especially when it’s getting closer to the sun,” says Dr. Haojing Yan, Associate Professor at the University of Missouri’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Our Earth is passing through the debris each year because we go around our sun on an annual basis. So, this is why we have this shower each and every year.” This stunning display will be visible throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Although light pollution from street lamps and buildings can make them harder to spot, the Perseids can be seen anywhere as long as you face north toward the constellation Perseus, which is what the meteor shower is named after.  The Perseids are very visible to the naked eye and don’t require any special equipment to view. In fact, Dr. Yan says using a telescope is counterproductive, as it will limit the scope of view and allow only a small patch of the vast sky to be seen. And anyway, the showers are so bright that you won’t need a telescope to amplify it. Although there are other meteor showers visible in Missouri at other times of the year, the Perseid meteor shower is particularly mesmerizing. “This one actually is a very big one. It’s a pretty spectacular one, so don’t miss it,” says Dr. Yan. “By prediction, during the peak time you’ll see something like about 100 or even 200 meteors per hour.” To optimize your stargazing experience, find a location away from the city, with as little light pollution as possible. Get comfy with a blanket and chair, and give your eyes some time to adjust to the darkness. Feature image courtesy of NASA For hundreds more events, visit Missouri Life’s Event Calendar.