Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Perseid meteor shower is the brightest astronomical event of August. The activity of this shower is observed for about a month – from mid-July to August 20, but it is uneven. The maximum level of activity falls on the night of August 12-13.
Composite image from the night of August 10/11, a total of 20 meteors, including 8 Perseids. Taken near the village of Novopichugovo, about 50 km from Novosibirsk, from 23:55 to 3:44, Pentax KP camera, shutter speed 13 seconds, focal length 16 mm.
A meteor shower is an ordered flow of particles in space, ejected from cometary matter and rotating around the parent comet. If we talk about the Perseid shower, its particles were once ejected by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle under the influence of heating by the Sun.
When the Earth, in its orbit, crosses such a stream, it encounters many particles that fly in nearly parallel courses along a radiant from some prominent constellation. Meteors generated by such particles appear in the sky as if they were flying from a single point, called the radiant of the meteor shower. The radiant of the Perseids during the period of activity drifts through the constellation Cassiopeia, whose bright stars form a W-shaped figure in the sky, and the constellation Perseus, from which the stream takes its name.
Another parameter is ZHR, the zenith hourly number, which characterizes the activity of the shower. It shows how many meteors an observer will be able to see under ideal conditions. For the Perseids, the ZHR is usually around 120, meaning that under ideal conditions, amateur astronomers can observe up to 2 meteors per minute.
The Perseids are one of several meteor showers visible from the Earth's surface, but one of the strongest. In addition, its visibility from Earth coincides with the summer period, when conditions for observation are most comfortable. These factors determine its greatest fame and popularity.
This year, the maximum activity level of the Perseids almost coincides with the full moon. Thus, the light from the full moon will interfere with meteor observations. You can go out of town at least 50 km for better visibility. It is definitely not worth missing the opportunity to observe one of the most powerful meteor showers. Especially since we still have about a week to enjoy an unforgettable spectacle. And although the intensity of the shower will weaken, it will be more visible without the light from the full moon, which will wane over time and reduce the light.
This month we can see the conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Venus, which had a minimum separation on August 12 and 13. The planets were photographed on August 11 with a Pentax KP camera, 77 mm lens, 20 seconds exposure, ISO 500. In the photo, the planets look larger than we subjectively evaluate them visually through our eyes, because they are bright and the signal from the recorded photons "spreads" across the matrix.
Photo of the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus
Of the nearest interesting astronomical events – in September there will be the second lunar eclipse of 2025, it will be total, like the first, and will occur on the night of September 7-8 from 22:28 to 3:55 Novosibirsk time, the shadow phase – from 23:27 to 2:56, and the total eclipse will last from 0:31 to 1:52. The maximum shadow phase will be observed at 1:12 and will be 136.8%. This is a fairly deep phase, near the maximum of the eclipse the Moon will probably have a dark red color, although the exact brightness of the lunar disk will depend on how much the earth's atmosphere is saturated with dust, refracting sunlight, and to a greater extent its red component, which gives a crimson-red tint to the lunar disk during total lunar eclipses. For Novosibirsk, the time of the eclipse is very favorable, it will be visible in its entirety when the Moon is high above the horizon. Also, the eclipse will be visible in its entirety or almost in its entirety over most of Russia, with the exception of the extreme western regions of the country and the Far East, where it will be partially visible. And in general, the eclipse will be clearly visible over most of the territory of the eastern hemisphere of the Earth.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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