Perseid meteor shower this weekend: how to get the best view

The Perseids meteor shower of the year's most spectacular for the spectators in the northern hemisphere will be this weekend

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Perseids meteor is at our doorstep. Over the next four days, the Earth will pass through the dust trail left by a giant comet happened around the sun since the birth of the solar system.

Each small fragment of comet hit our atmosphere is generally the size of a grain of dust. However, it burns with an incandescent display called a shooting star. For technical assistance in this regard: a. Meteorite

This year, the Perseids will be visible from the northern hemisphere between 11 and 14 August

If the clouds cooperate and clear skies this weekend to watch the optimal times are usually between midnight and 3 am. This year, on the night of 12 passes for 13 is expected to be the best. But meteor showers are extremely variable and if you have the chance to see in the early morning hours of between 11 and 14 years.

The direction in which to look for is the East. If you know your constellations, Perseus found then look at their environment. Take a long chair, blankets and a thermos of hot water to keep you company. Even in August, will be the last two. Then wait. The expected rate of meteors this year is a few tens per hour. Perseids Each time was a time in the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, an iceberg, 27 kilometers wide in space. He spends most of his time in the outer solar system, beyond the orbit of Pluto. Then every 133 years, beyond the sun dipped, the replacement of the source of the Perseids.

Swift-Tuttle, like all comets, is in a constant state of decay. Comets from the outer solar system, where the compounds of ice are easy to maintain because it is very cold. As a comet approaches the Sun, however, the heat melts the ice and the solid grains of dust are released into space. This creates queues that are ephemeral which extends across the night sky.

• As queues disperse create debris flows that give us meteor showers. There are 64 meteor showers that hit Earth every year established, and the Perseids are generally considered the best.

And if you really want to impress your friends geeks, while everyone any trouble, ask them why meteors burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Chances are they will say friction. It is a popular misconception.

friction occurs when the objects slide against each other. This is not the case of a meteor. When you reach the upper atmosphere moves faster than 160,000 miles per hour (100.000 mph). This compresses the air in front of him. When compressed gas is naturally heated. In this case, the temperature reaches several thousand degrees, which burns the meteor. No sliding motion, there is no friction.

As you watch this weekend, spare a thought for the wonder of it all. Each of these meteors was born as the Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years. This means that everyone has a story to tell.

By capturing the meteors before his death, as did the Stardust mission, we can begin to read the story of the birth of the solar system.
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