The wait is over and stargazers are gearing up for one of the top-rated meteor showers of the year, but clouds could disrupt the event for about one-third of the United States.
The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, a reliable meteor shower that puts on a show year in and year out.
"We have been guarding ourselves against meteor showers for centuries," said Eric Christian, Associate Director of the Universal Darkness Community Research Center at the University of Iowa.
Cloud cover can contribute to likelihood of visible meteor showers including the Perseid meteor shower and others at higher latitudes, Christian said during the Perseids webcast.
"Weak clouds cause light absorption by aerosols in the stratosphere (above the atmosphere)," he said. These aerosol particles reflect the light from the radiant, which is the constellation Perseus that rises directly before the star Trappist-1.
Aerosols are particles in the air that reflect light.
"Take airplane air before takeoff and planes flying over clouds and the glare is a problem," Christian said. "Because you can see the tips of things as they're left-over, the light traveled, collected into trails, and occasionally struck the ground due to your ability to see the silhouette of the dust particles along the emanations storyline."
Scientists block the meteors using supersonic devices such as balloons (airborne laser) that are used to keep track of the meteors.
Meteors appear randomly in space, with speed dependent on speed relative to the observer.
Currently, the meteor showers release over one percent of their energy in light per second.
Throughout the summer months, the Perseids are light years ahead of many other meteor showers. Hundreds of bright meteors appeared from coast to coast during the relatively compact autumn and winter months in 2016. Moderate meteors are only visible for about 30 to 80 minutes, with the best ones happening at night, Christian said.
But even in non-safe observing conditions, the Perseids are easily observed with the right equipment.
"A digital camera or telescope with a 12-inch (30-centimeter) aperture is all the necessary equipment to watch Perseids in our cities and towns," he said.
What is the Perseids as a meteor shower is a meteor shooting out streaking lightning in the highest atmosphere, rather like rain. With so little energy released on shaking of the Earth's atmosphere, the Perseids are a meteor shower in the upper atmosphere.
Seen against the sky, the particle outscatter on reflection is called the "inflato" and peaks at around 4,500 meters (15,246 feet) under the Earth's surface.
They are easily observable and easy to track.
"You will actually watch
The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, a reliable meteor shower that puts on a show year in and year out.
"We have been guarding ourselves against meteor showers for centuries," said Eric Christian, Associate Director of the Universal Darkness Community Research Center at the University of Iowa.
Cloud cover can contribute to likelihood of visible meteor showers including the Perseid meteor shower and others at higher latitudes, Christian said during the Perseids webcast.
"Weak clouds cause light absorption by aerosols in the stratosphere (above the atmosphere)," he said. These aerosol particles reflect the light from the radiant, which is the constellation Perseus that rises directly before the star Trappist-1.
Aerosols are particles in the air that reflect light.
"Take airplane air before takeoff and planes flying over clouds and the glare is a problem," Christian said. "Because you can see the tips of things as they're left-over, the light traveled, collected into trails, and occasionally struck the ground due to your ability to see the silhouette of the dust particles along the emanations storyline."
Scientists block the meteors using supersonic devices such as balloons (airborne laser) that are used to keep track of the meteors.
Meteors appear randomly in space, with speed dependent on speed relative to the observer.
Currently, the meteor showers release over one percent of their energy in light per second.
Throughout the summer months, the Perseids are light years ahead of many other meteor showers. Hundreds of bright meteors appeared from coast to coast during the relatively compact autumn and winter months in 2016. Moderate meteors are only visible for about 30 to 80 minutes, with the best ones happening at night, Christian said.
But even in non-safe observing conditions, the Perseids are easily observed with the right equipment.
"A digital camera or telescope with a 12-inch (30-centimeter) aperture is all the necessary equipment to watch Perseids in our cities and towns," he said.
What is the Perseids as a meteor shower is a meteor shooting out streaking lightning in the highest atmosphere, rather like rain. With so little energy released on shaking of the Earth's atmosphere, the Perseids are a meteor shower in the upper atmosphere.
Seen against the sky, the particle outscatter on reflection is called the "inflato" and peaks at around 4,500 meters (15,246 feet) under the Earth's surface.
They are easily observable and easy to track.
"You will actually watch
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