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August 07, 2008

Perseid Meteor Shower Monday Night (8/11)

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Then annual Perseid Meteor Shower peaks Monday night. We could witness 1-2 shooting stars per hour.  Best viewing is after the moon sets around 2am.  Best chance of seeing a shooting star is in the eastern sky.

Q: What's a shooting star?

A: An intense streak of light in the Earth's atmoshpere created by the burning of interplanetary rock and debris as it penetrates Earth's atmosphere at an alitude of 30-80 miles. A shooting or falling star can reach 132,000 mph.

Q: Why do we see the Perseid meteor shower at the same time each year?

A: The Earth has a fairly steady orbit and each year at this time, the Earth's orbit takes it through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. The tail contains many small pieces of comet "dust," which causes the shower.

Posted by KGOAdminstrator at 02:55:41 PM

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