Sky-Watching Events in August 2017 Include Perseid Meteor Shower

By: | August 7th, 2017

Image of multicolored Perseid meteor striking the sky by Brocken Inaglory via Wikimedia commons

Have you ever experienced how sky-watching can relax your weary mind?

Simply gazing at the vast expanse of the universe, the tiny dots of light all across the night sky can calm your soul.

You might not have experienced this … but please don’t miss the sky events in August.

This will be a truly spectacular time for stargazing. We have a lunar eclipse, the Perseid meteor shower, and a solar eclipse–all in the same month.

Stargazers are very excited to have the chance to enjoy the spectacular meteor shower. Thousands of meteors are expected to flash across the sky. The shower will reach its peak on August 12.

According to NASA’s asteroid expert Bill Cooke, “The Perseid peak is expected to occur at around 1 p.m. EDT on August 12 this year, which is in the middle of the day. This means there will be good rates on either side. I think things may be slightly better in the pre-dawn hours of the 12th, but there should still be a decent show on either night.”

Skywatchers in Africa, Asia and Australia will be lucky to view a partial lunar eclipse, as Earth’s shadow passes over the moon.

For those in the United States, don’t worry about being left out. You will have the opportunity to experience the month’s main event: a full solar eclipse on August 21.

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

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