Every August, the Perseids takes the night sky which is one of the best and most anticipated meteor showers of the year. During this month, Earth plows through a thick trail of debris that was left over from a passing comet. As a result, the meteors light up the night sky.
Peak viewing which is when you can see the most meteors lands on the night of August 12-13 this year. During those days, the Earth is moving through the thickest part of the debris left over from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The tiny pieces of particles will be burning up in our atmosphere.
The comet was first discovered in 1862 independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle. It makes an orbit of the sun every 133 years and the last time it was in our solar system was in 1992. The comet leaves a trail of debris that can be bigger than the normal grain-like particles that can create the bright fireballs that light up the sky.
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