Mars, meteor shower two reasons to look up
There are two astronomical treats to see in the coming week — one slow and steady, one just a flash in the sky. (Actually quite a lot of flashes.)
Mars is putting on a continuing display that many astronomy websites have overlooked. As well, the annual Perseid meteor shower is coming.
There was a lot of internet chatter about the fact that Mars recently came closer to Earth than it has been for more than a decade. That happened July 27, making that night supposedly the perfect time to see Mars at its biggest and brightest.
It turned out to be a flop, at least in Ottawa. The sky was mostly cloudy.
But the good news is that Mars is moving very slowly across our sky. In fact it is becoming easier to see without staying up late, rising now in the southeast as soon as the sky is dark, and remaining visible all night while crossing the lower part of the southern sky. It is brighter than any star in that part of the sky, and has a yellowish or orange tinge (though not quite red). It sets in the southwest about 4:30 a.m.
And next weekend the annual Perseids are coming. This is a meteor shower that happens each year when Earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet. The little pieces burn up in our atmosphere.
Ottawa astronomer Gary Boyle sums it up like this:
“During the peak nights of Aug. 11-12 and Aug. 12-13, more than 100 meteors (shooting stars) can be seen per hour.
“The shower is the result of Earth encountering the gritty debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. These meteors will strike the atmosphere at around 60 km/second and cause long streaks which completely vaporize. The average particle size is that of large sand grains but some small pea-gravel size meteors can cause bright fireballs that light up the sky and ground.”
The meteors are best seen after midnight, and from a dark place outside the city.
So far Environment Canada is calling for clear nights from Tuesday through Friday, though this can change.
As a bonus, the nights are going to be warm.