If clouds steer clear of the early morning sky across Kentucky Sunday, it might provide a great time to catch a bit of the Perseid Meteor shower show.
This time each August is when the meteor event plays out across the black sky. The earth is once again rolling through a field of comet debris. Longtime University of Kentucky Astronomy Professor Tom Troland said each shooting star is the result of a sand-like piece of interplanetary dust.
“It is approaching the earth at a speed of more than a hundred thousand miles an hour from interplanetary space. It hits the atmosphere and slows down dramatically, is heated by friction, and creates that brief glow. Typically last a fraction of a second,” said Troland.
Troland said cloud cover isn’t the only factor to consider when trying to catch a glimpse of falling stars.
“The difference between one year and the next, let’s say from the Perseus, the difference from one year to the next in August is the question of whether during the time of the peak meteors, during that time the moon is bright or the moon is not,” said Troland.
And Troland said it will be a sliver of a moon this weekend which increases the likelihood of seeing streaks of light in the sky. He noted the peak period should be early Sunday morning during the hours after midnight. The veteran astronomy professor added it’s not like a Fourth of July display but more like one meteor every minute or two.
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