Perseid meteor showers

Astronomy enthusiasts eagerly await every year the Perseid meteor showers, which start every year from July 14 to August 24, and reach their peak on August 12 and 13, according to NASA. Recently, social media platforms have been filled with thousands of photos taken by astronomy enthusiasts of dazzling scenes of the Perseid meteor showers around the world.

The phenomenon of meteors generally occurs due to the entry of the planet into the path of ancient comets filled with the waste of these comets. These wastes are very small granules, which burn when they enter the Earth's atmosphere at an estimated distance of 70 to 100 kilometers from the Earth's surface. Relatively large objects are called meteorites.

The Perseid meteor showers, or Perseids, occur when the Earth passes through the path of dust caused by Comet Swift Tuttle discovered in 1862, and it orbits between the Sun and beyond the orbit of Pluto once every 133 years. For his part, says Bill Cook, of the US space agency (NASA), "The Earth passes through the densest part of the dust stream at some point on August 12, when dozens of meteors can be seen in one hour."

As meteorologist and astronomer Joe Rao says, "Most of the pieces of debris that create Perseid meteorites are the size of grains of sand, with the fragments producing a fireball no larger than a marble. on the earth". According to astronomers, the phenomenon does not need special equipment to follow it, as telescopes and binoculars may restrict the field of view, so the only equipment you need is a comfortable seating arrangement in a dark place, and staring at the sky after ten in the evening.