August is called the month of starfalls. And so he was nicknamed not by chance. The fact is that during this period in the northern hemisphere of the planet one can observe a very spectacular meteor shower of Perseid. This stream is not the only one that can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. However, the Perseid stream is the brightest and most colorful. Especially if you are responsible for such a pastime and find a suitable place for observation:
away from populated cities, and even better - in the mountains. The flow of Perseids in 2013, you can no longer see with your own eyes, unfortunately. However, there is a positive side, because you have a few more months to prepare well for the same event in August next year.
What is a Perseid stream?
It is a variant of meteor shower created by stone and ice particles from the tail of a comet. It is interesting that the comet itself approaches the Earth only once every 135 years, but its tail flies near the Earth annually, which creates the effect of starfall. Fragments of rock and ice, which are separated from the tail of the comet, fall into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn here. Thus, a Perseid flow arises, which we see as hundreds of simultaneously falling stars.
Observation history
Actually, we have the opportunity to review this incredibly beautiful natural phenomenon every year. Interestingly, UFO reports from people who do not know about this phenomenon become more frequent during this period. In general, earthlings drew attention to the Perseid stream in ancient times. The earliest mention of it is found in one of the Chinese annals dated 36 year. Often, starfall was also noted by Korean and Japanese chroniclers throughout the medieval period. On the European continent, the Perseids were called the "Tear of St. Lawrence," because they coincided in time with the festival of the same named Catholic Church, which was held in Italy.
First observations
With the development of astronomy, the concept of this phenomenon has changed. First time in
For scientific purposes, he was observed by the Belgian Adolf Kötele, who established the annual frequency in 1835. Perseids became the first meteors, the nature of which was reliably established - they were associated with a particular comet. This was done in 1863 thanks to the activities of the Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio, who calculated their trajectory and compared it with the trajectory of the Swift-Tuttle comet. By the way, the comet itself was discovered just years before, when it was destined to be unusually close to Earth. Another such approximation occurred already in 1992. And of course, this again affected the intensity and brightness of the starfall. It is easy to calculate that the next increase in the activity of shooting stars will occur when only a few of his contemporaries survive in 2126. And this spectacle will surely again enchant the generation of our descendants with its truly unprecedented grandeur.