Cognitive Labs

Just in time for the final weeks of the summer vacation, the Perseids peak around August 12th and put on a display as the earth's orbit annually crosses a debris field left over, perhaps, from an ancient comet. This year the maximum is said to be around 80 meteors per hour, however, the moon provides some competition.

Labels: Perseids

This year, treat yourself to an all natural special effects display: the Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids, a remnant of an Earth encounter with a comet in ancient times, appear to originate from the shoulder area of the constellation Perseus. The expectation is for a heavier than usual shower coupled with a new moon. Perfect conditions.

Our Cognitive Labs recommendation is to get out into the dark, rural, desert, or mountain skies on August 12th to see this wonder. Around midnight, camp out under the stars with a sleeping bag or canvas chair and wait for the light show to begin, resting your gaze at the zenith. You should easily be able to see the double-cluster of stars which lies between Perseus and Cassiopeia under dark skies.

A couple of years ago we took in this spectacle from the Mammoth area in Yellowstone National Park, which is on the Eastern slope of the caldera and relatively treeless ( in fact sagebrush is more common) due to the rain shadow created by the Continental Divide a few miles west.

Sometimes the meteors are bright enough to leave a ray or afterimage.

Labels: double-cluster, mammoth, Perseids, Perseus, Yellowstone