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How to View the Perseid Meteor Showers

If, around August 12th, you go outside between midnight and dawn and look up for a minute or so, you'll most likely spot a meteor streaking through the sky. The August Perseid meteors were the first that astronomers associated with a particular comet. In the mid 1860s, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed that Perseids followed the appearance of the Swift-Tuttle Comet.

Things You'll Need

Film
Cameras
Binoculars
Sleeping Bags
Digital Cameras
Camera Accessories
Camera Tripod
Telescopes
Sky And Telescope Subscriptions
Telescope Camera Adapters
Red-lens Flashlights With A Red-tinted Lens
Patio Chairs

Instructions

- 1
  Watch for Perseid meteors in the night skies from July 23rd to August 22nd.
- 2
  Get away from artificial light if possible.
- 3
  Dress appropriately for nighttime viewing. As a summer event, Perseids may be one of the few meteor showers you can observe in shirtsleeves.
- 4
  Look toward constellation Perseus for the radiant point of Perseid meteors. They'll seem to come from that area, which is about halfway above the horizon in the northeast quadrant of the sky.
- 5
  Begin your search for Perseids after 10 p.m. (although the best viewing comes from midnight until dawn).
- 6
  Recline with your feet facing due south and look straight up. Perseids should appear to come from over your left shoulder.

Astronomy