A Perseid meteor shower will be the main feature of the August night skies, and the audience is advised to mark August 12 and 13 for its performance.
According to the astronomical diary of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), if the sky permits, around 50 meteors will be observed in the late evening and early morning hours of its peak dates.
“Meteors are easiest to observe if there is no moonlight & light pollution and a clear sky. The Perseids meteor shower radiates out from the constellation Perseus located on the eastern horizon,” PAGASA stated.
PAGASA also mentioned that August is one of the most popular times of the year to observe a meteor shower. Unfortunately, the waxing gibbous moon will interfere with the observations of fainter meteors, it added.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explained that the Perseids are fragments of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits between the Sun and beyond the orbit of Pluto once every 133 years. The comet Swift-Tuttle last visited the inner solar system in 1992.
Every year, the Earth passes near the path of the comet, and the debris left behind by Swift-Tuttle shows up as meteors in our sky, NASA added.
