You can see it with the naked eye! On August 13, we went to see the meteor shower and landed on this earth. ...

It's tomorrow

We will welcome the Perseid meteor shower.

And there is no moonlight interference.

This is the best meteor shower of the year!

Huang Dandan, an astronomy enthusiast in Hubei, photographed the fireball of Perseid meteor shower in Yichang, Hubei on August 18, 2008. (Image courtesy of Star Alliance CSVA)

What is the Perseid meteor shower?

There are many dust particles, pebbles and small ice cubes scattered in space, which are called meteoroids. When the earth moves near a meteoroid, gravity causes the meteoroid to fall to the earth, and the high-speed meteoroid rubs against the earth's atmosphere to generate heat and light, forming a meteor.

When the comet approaches the sun, due to the heating effect of the sun, some ice and dust on the comet will be scattered near the comet's orbit, forming a meteoroid group and preserved for a long time. When the earth moves nearby, they fall on the earth, forming a meteor shower.

Due to the perspective effect, the reverse extension lines of these meteor trajectories converge at one point, which is called radiation point. The radiant point is located in the Perseid sky area, hence the name Perseid meteor shower. The parent comet of Perseid meteor shower is 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

Perseid meteor shower, as one of the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere, has a large and stable flow, which is of great scientific significance and appreciation value. The maximum cycle of Perseid meteor shower this year is expected to appear around 3: 00 on August 13.

Watch the meteor shower, find a clearing, lie down and look up. You don't need a telescope, you can observe it directly with the naked eye.

When observing, try to choose the sky without light pollution in the suburbs, adjust the comfortable observation posture, and quietly look at the sky around the radiation point. Considering the actual observation environment and the observer's eyesight, it is expected that dozens to dozens of meteors can be seen every hour in fine weather.

The direction of meteors in the sky is random, but all Perseus meteors seem to radiate from the northeast of Perseus.

Watch the meteor shower, these things have to be ready!

Before going to the suburbs to observe the meteor shower, you should prepare food, drinking water and mosquito repellent water. If you plan to shoot a meteor, you need to prepare a cable to release it. The SLR camera is set to M-gear, continuous shooting mode, manual focus is set to farthest, aperture is set to maximum, shutter is set to 20-30 seconds, and ISO 1600 is around. Ambient darkness depending on ISO and shutter settings. Shoot continuously around the radiation point, and choose photos with meteors after dawn. The wider the lens, the better for shooting meteors.

With any luck.

Maybe you can see this meteor shower.

Perseid meteor shower photography/Xingyu 20 13

Perseid meteor shower photography/Xingyu 20 16

Such a big meteor shower

Worth looking forward to ~

Wang Kechao, head of science popularization at Purple Mountain Observatory of China Academy of Sciences.

Explain to you some highlights of this meteor shower.

Aspect 1: The traffic is heavy, and a meteor passes by in less than one minute on average.

According to Wang Kechao, Perseid meteor shower, quadrant meteor shower and Gemini meteor shower are also called the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere. Large discharge is the common feature of these three meteor showers.

The parent body of Perseid meteor shower is a comet, and its active period is very long, from July to August 24th in 17, and it is expected to appear around 3 o'clock in August13, and the best time for observation is a few days before and after the maximum period. Taking Beijing, China as an example, 12 the visible radiation point rises from the northeast around 8 pm, and then it can be observed all night. At its peak, ZHR (assuming the hourly flow of the radiation point at the zenith) can reach about 100, which is equivalent to a meteor passing by in less than one minute on average.

Aspect 2: the speed is fast, and you can see the elegance of bright meteors and colorful meteors.

Wang Kechao said that the meteor shower also has a great feature, that is, it is very fast and there will be many bright meteors.

According to the forecast, the meteor shower breaks into the atmosphere at a speed as high as 59 km/s. When a fast-moving meteoroid encounters the atmosphere, it will quickly compress the front atmosphere, and the temperature will rise to several thousand degrees, thus emitting light and heating. Molecules and atoms in the atmosphere, as well as various metal atoms of meteoroids themselves, will also be excited, thus emitting light of a specific color. Therefore, at the peak of meteor shower, there will be many bright meteors and colorful meteors. If we are lucky, we can see red and light green meteors in the sky.

Aspect 3: the season is suitable and the observation conditions are good. "Visible to the naked eye" wonderful meteor.

The suitable season and time provide excellent conditions for the observation of this meteor shower.

According to Wang Kechao, the recent weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and it is cooler in the morning and evening, which is very suitable for outdoor observation at night. At the same time, the rising time of Perseid meteor shower is not too late, and the radiation point will rise around 8 pm, and it will rise to a high enough level around 10 at night, which is also very beneficial to our observation.

Wang Kechao said that the observation of meteor shower can be seen with the naked eye without the help of professional equipment. Because meteor showers can appear from anywhere in the sky, what is most needed is a very broad view.

The best place to observe the meteor shower is outdoors, and there is no shelter around. In order to observe comfortably, you can also bring a moisture-proof pad or a lounge chair. When everything is ready, you can lie down and wait for the meteor shower.

Make an appointment with your friends quickly.

Let's make a wish!

Editor | Tu Ce Editor | Wang Qiao Editor | Jiang Ying

Deputy Editor-in-Chief on Duty | Zhang Lei Comprehensive Xinhuanet, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily