Meteor shower Perseids

August is called the month of the stars. And so he was nicknamed not by accident. The fact is that during this period in the northern hemisphere of the planet you can observe a very spectacular Perseid meteor shower. This stream is not the only one that can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. However, the Perseids stream is the brightest and most colorful. Especially if you responsibly treat such a pastime and find a suitable place for observations: Away from inhabited cities, and even better - in the mountains. The flow of the Perseids of 2013 you will not be able to see with your own eyes, unfortunately. However, there is also a positive side, because you have a few more months to prepare well for the same event in August next year.

What is the Perseid stream?

It is a variant of meteorite rain, created by stone and ice particles from the tail of a comet. It is interesting that the comet itself approaches Earth only once in 135 years, but its tail sweeps near the Earth every year, which creates a stellar effect. The fragments of stone and ice rocks that separate from the tail of the comet fall into the atmosphere of the Earth and burn here. Thus, the Perseid stream appears, which appears to us like hundreds of stars falling simultaneously.

History of observations

Actually, we have an opportunity to review this incredibly beautiful natural phenomenon annually. It is interesting that during this period, reports about UFOs from people who do not know about this phenomenon become more frequent. In general, the earthlings paid attention to the Perseid stream in antiquity. The first mention of it was found in one of the Chinese chronicles, dated 36th year. Often, the globe 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 with the festival of the same name of the Holy Catholic Church, which was held in Italy.

First observations

With the development of astronomy, the concept of this phenomenon also changed. For the first time in His scientific goals were observed by the Belgian Adolf Ketele, who established the annual periodicity in 1835. Perseids became the first meteors, the nature of which was reliably established - they were associated with a certain comet. This was done in 1863 thanks to the activities of the Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio, who computed their trajectory and compared them with the trajectory of Comet Swift-Tuttle. By the way, the comet itself was discovered only years before, when it was destined to be unusually close to the Earth. The next such approach was already in 1992. And of course, this again reflected on the intensity and brightness of the stargazing. It is easy to calculate that the next increase in the activity of falling stars will occur already when only a few of the contemporaries remain alive in 2126. And this spectacle is sure to fascinate again with its truly unprecedented grandeur the generation of our descendants.