Perseids Meteor Showers
July 17 – August 24, 2021
The Universe will be providing Earthlings with a beautiful show that can be seen without a telescope: The Perseids Meteor Showers. The showers start on July 17 and run through August 24 with the peak viewing on August 12.
The Perseids are particles from the Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the comet approaches our Sun, the star’s heat turns the comet’s ice to gas. This frees trapped dust particles, called meteoroids, that continue to orbit the Sun along the comet’s path. When the Earth encounters this trail of particles they enter our atmosphere and create the showers. This happens around the same time each year.
