Remember to look up at the sky!“The Perseid Meteor Shower” kicks off on the 12th — up to 150 meteors per hour

▲ Perseid Meteor Shower. (Photo / Tachi Images / AP)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

It’s okay if you missed the four meteor showers in July. One of the three major annual meteor showers, the “Perseid Meteor Shower,” is about to make its appearance on the evening of the 12th. Under clear, cloudless skies and no air pollution, up to 150 meteors can be seen streaking across the night sky every hour. To enjoy this beautiful celestial waterfall, remember to look up at the sky that night.

The “Perseid Meteor Shower,” along with the Quadrantids and Geminids, is known as one of the three major meteor showers. According to predictions by the Southern Taiwan Science Park Astronomy Museum in Tainan, the peak of this year’s Perseid Meteor Shower will occur late on the night of the 12th. After sunset that day, you can start observing in the low-angle northeastern night sky until around 22:00, before the moon rises, which is the best viewing period.

The Taipei Astronomical Museum states that the peak of this year’s Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to be between 22:00 on the 12th and 10:30 on the 13th. Although the number of visible meteors is somewhat reduced this year due to moonlight, the ones that do appear are mostly bright, colorful fireballs, which are still quite a spectacle.

As for how to watch a meteor shower? The Taipei Astronomical Museum puts it simply: “Use your eyes.” The most important thing is the location where you watch the meteor shower. A spot with no light pollution and a wide field of view is the best place for observation, with mountaintops being the most ideal, followed by rural areas and the seaside. If none of these locations are accessible, then urban areas can be chosen as a last resort for meteor shower viewing.

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