MATERIALS
Provide copies of all the materials (worksheets, visuals etc.) you would give or show the students in addition to
your board work.
You can submit more than 1 document for this section if you wish. If you submit more than one item, please label them Materials 1,
Materials 2 etc.
MATERIALS 1a-
- Warmer Activity -
1. Pictures for Timeline
These pictures will be printed on a transparent PVC sheet and will be cut
seperately by the teacher.
, MATERIALS 1b
- Warmer Activity -
Perseids Peak: Watch Best Meteor Shower of
the Year!
By Emily Clay
weather cooperates!) will be available on the NASA Meteor Watch
Facebook starting around 8 p.m. CDT on Aug. 11 and continuing until
The Perseid meteor shower is here! With Comet NEOWISE making its sunrise on Aug. 12. Meteor videos recorded by the NASA All Sky
way out of the solar system, it is time for a celestial show caused by a Fireball Network are also available each morning.
different comet. Perseid meteors, caused by debris left behind by the
Comet Swift-Tuttle, began streaking across the skies in late July and WHY ARE THEY CALLED PERSEIDS?
will peak in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 12.
All meteors associated with one particular shower have similar orbits,
In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the
and they all appear to come from the same place in the sky, called the
annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob,
radiant. Meteor showers take their name from the location of the
West Virginia. The Perseids show up every year in August when Earth
radiant. The Perseid radiant is in the constellation Perseus. Similarly, the
ventures through trails of debris left behind by an ancient comet. Image
Geminid meteor shower, observed each December, is named for a
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
radiant in the constellation Gemini.
The Perseid meteor shower is often considered to be one of the best
meteor showers of the year due to its high rates and pleasant late- HOW TO OBSERVE PERSEIDS
summer temperatures. This year’s shower, however, has the unfortunate
circumstance of the Moon phase—last quarter—impeding the view of
If it’s not cloudy, pick an observing spot away from bright lights, lay on
the shower peak, reducing the visible meteors from over 60 per hour
your back, and look up! You don’t need any special equipment to view
down to 15-20 per hour. But the Perseids are rich in bright meteors
the Perseids – just your eyes. (Note that telescopes or binoculars are
and fireballs, so it will still be worth going out in the early morning to
catch some of nature’s fireworks. not recommended because of their small fields of view.) Meteors can
generally be seen all over the sky so don’t worry about looking in any
particular direction.
WHEN SHOULD I LOOK?
While observing this month, not all of the meteors you’ll see belong to
Make plans to stay up late the night of Aug. 11 or wake up early the
the Perseid meteor shower. Some are sporadic background meteors.
morning of Aug. 12. The Perseids are best seen between about 2 a.m.
And some are from other weaker showers also active right now,
your local time and dawn. The Moon rises at around midnight, so its
including the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids, and the
brightness will affect the peak viewing window. However, even though
Kappa Cygnids. How can you tell if you’ve seen a Perseid? If you see
the Moon’s phase and presence will keep the frequency of visible
a meteor try to trace it backwards. If you end up in the constellation
meteors lower, there is still nearly one meteor every two minutes during
Perseus, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Perseid. If finding
the peak!
constellations isn’t your forte, then note that Perseids are some of the
fastest meteors you’ll see!
If those hours seem daunting, not to worry! You can go out after dark,
around 9 p.m. local time, and see a few Perseids. Just know that you
Pro tip: Remember to let your eyes become adjusted to the dark (it
won’t see nearly as many as you would had you gone out during the
early morning hours. takes about 30 minutes) – you’ll see more meteors that way. Try to stay
off of your phone too, as looking at devices with bright screens will
How can you see the Perseids if the weather doesn’t cooperate where negatively affect your night vision and hence reduce the number of
you are? A live broadcast of the meteor shower from a camera at meteors you see! Happy viewing
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, (if our
Provide copies of all the materials (worksheets, visuals etc.) you would give or show the students in addition to
your board work.
You can submit more than 1 document for this section if you wish. If you submit more than one item, please label them Materials 1,
Materials 2 etc.
MATERIALS 1a-
- Warmer Activity -
1. Pictures for Timeline
These pictures will be printed on a transparent PVC sheet and will be cut
seperately by the teacher.
, MATERIALS 1b
- Warmer Activity -
Perseids Peak: Watch Best Meteor Shower of
the Year!
By Emily Clay
weather cooperates!) will be available on the NASA Meteor Watch
Facebook starting around 8 p.m. CDT on Aug. 11 and continuing until
The Perseid meteor shower is here! With Comet NEOWISE making its sunrise on Aug. 12. Meteor videos recorded by the NASA All Sky
way out of the solar system, it is time for a celestial show caused by a Fireball Network are also available each morning.
different comet. Perseid meteors, caused by debris left behind by the
Comet Swift-Tuttle, began streaking across the skies in late July and WHY ARE THEY CALLED PERSEIDS?
will peak in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 12.
All meteors associated with one particular shower have similar orbits,
In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the
and they all appear to come from the same place in the sky, called the
annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob,
radiant. Meteor showers take their name from the location of the
West Virginia. The Perseids show up every year in August when Earth
radiant. The Perseid radiant is in the constellation Perseus. Similarly, the
ventures through trails of debris left behind by an ancient comet. Image
Geminid meteor shower, observed each December, is named for a
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
radiant in the constellation Gemini.
The Perseid meteor shower is often considered to be one of the best
meteor showers of the year due to its high rates and pleasant late- HOW TO OBSERVE PERSEIDS
summer temperatures. This year’s shower, however, has the unfortunate
circumstance of the Moon phase—last quarter—impeding the view of
If it’s not cloudy, pick an observing spot away from bright lights, lay on
the shower peak, reducing the visible meteors from over 60 per hour
your back, and look up! You don’t need any special equipment to view
down to 15-20 per hour. But the Perseids are rich in bright meteors
the Perseids – just your eyes. (Note that telescopes or binoculars are
and fireballs, so it will still be worth going out in the early morning to
catch some of nature’s fireworks. not recommended because of their small fields of view.) Meteors can
generally be seen all over the sky so don’t worry about looking in any
particular direction.
WHEN SHOULD I LOOK?
While observing this month, not all of the meteors you’ll see belong to
Make plans to stay up late the night of Aug. 11 or wake up early the
the Perseid meteor shower. Some are sporadic background meteors.
morning of Aug. 12. The Perseids are best seen between about 2 a.m.
And some are from other weaker showers also active right now,
your local time and dawn. The Moon rises at around midnight, so its
including the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids, and the
brightness will affect the peak viewing window. However, even though
Kappa Cygnids. How can you tell if you’ve seen a Perseid? If you see
the Moon’s phase and presence will keep the frequency of visible
a meteor try to trace it backwards. If you end up in the constellation
meteors lower, there is still nearly one meteor every two minutes during
Perseus, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Perseid. If finding
the peak!
constellations isn’t your forte, then note that Perseids are some of the
fastest meteors you’ll see!
If those hours seem daunting, not to worry! You can go out after dark,
around 9 p.m. local time, and see a few Perseids. Just know that you
Pro tip: Remember to let your eyes become adjusted to the dark (it
won’t see nearly as many as you would had you gone out during the
early morning hours. takes about 30 minutes) – you’ll see more meteors that way. Try to stay
off of your phone too, as looking at devices with bright screens will
How can you see the Perseids if the weather doesn’t cooperate where negatively affect your night vision and hence reduce the number of
you are? A live broadcast of the meteor shower from a camera at meteors you see! Happy viewing
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, (if our
