#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The peak of the brightest and most spectacular August meteor shower – the Perseid meteor shower – will be seen by Siberians today after midnight, but in general it is active from August 5 to 20. In Norilsk, because of the white nights, the star shower can hardly be seen. However, many northerners are now on vacation and traveling around the mainland.
As told in the Moscow Planetarium, with a cloudless sky, one can observe up to 100 meteors per hour. So you it’s possible to make a lot of wishes. The full moon and city lights can interfere. The best place to watch is the mountains. No astronomical instruments are required.
Astronomers advise looking to the northeast. You need to find Cassiopeia – this is an inverted M.
“To the left and below the horizon shines the bright star Capella. Between Cassiopeia and Capella lies the Perseid radiant. In August, around midnight, it is just in the northeast. That’s where you should look. Meteors will fly out of the radiant, and you can observe them all over the sky”, the planetarium explained.
The lucky ones will see bright white meteorites sharply tracing the sky. The glow of the brightest will last up to several seconds, such meteors are called bolides.
Northerners often capture beautiful natural phenomena: a solar halo, aurora borealis, unusual clouds, light pillars. And last year, Russians witnessed the longest lunar eclipse since the 15th century and a “bloody” supermoon.
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Text: Angelica Stepanova, Photo: istockphoto.com and Moscow Planetarium
