The Perseid meteor shower, a celestial blessing for Qixi, will peak early tomorrow morning

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported by Chen Guanxin

 

Tomorrow (the 13th) is Qixi Festival. If you want to celebrate this romantic Valentine’s Day “early,” consider heading to a spot free of light pollution between 2:15 and 4:45 a.m. on the 13th to enjoy one of the year’s three major meteor showers — the Perseid meteor shower, which can produce up to around 100 meteors per hour, and with no moonlight interference, viewing conditions are excellent. Sweethearts, go to bed early tonight and wake up early to celebrate a unique Valentine’s Day in advance!

The Perseid meteor shower is active from July 17 to August 24. The closer it gets to the peak time, the more meteors you can see. This year, the peak occurs between 2:15 and 4:45 a.m. on August 13, just before the first quarter moon, so you can observe from when the radiant point rises in the east after 10:00 p.m. on August 12 until dawn the next morning.

 

For those netizens looking to spend a meteor shower Valentine’s Day, simply choose a location free from light pollution with a wide field of view, and enjoy the entire sky with the naked eye. However, since the timing and location of meteor appearances are not fixed or predictable, be sure to look in various directions to avoid missing meteors appearing elsewhere. As for those wanting to photograph the meteor shower, remember to use a tripod and take long-exposure shots with the B shutter. If your digital camera doesn’t have a B shutter option, it’s recommended to increase the ISO sensitivity and extend the shutter release time as much as possible, which will help capture images of the meteor shower.

 

 

●   Further reading:

Don’t be afraid to travel in Ghost Month — July on the lunar calendar has special event info

http://goo.gl/ZbcF01

 

MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network — Taiwan’s largest Chinese-language travel information platform

www.mook.com.tw