Perseid Meteor Shower in 2016

Perseid Meteor Shower in 2016
The 2016 Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 12 and 13. A waxing gibbous Moon will make it harder for observers to watch the meteor shower.

Radiant of the Perseid meteor shower.



When Can I See the Perseids?
The Perseid meteor shower, one of the brighter meteor showers of the year, occur every year between July 17 and August 24. The shower tends to peak around August 9-13.
The best time to view the Perseids, or most other meteor showers is when the sky is the darkest. Most astronomers suggest that depending on the Moon’s phase, the best time to view meteor showers is right before dawn.
Sunrise and Sunset in my City
Comet Swift-Tuttle
Made of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus. This is because the direction, or radiant, from which the shower seems to come in the sky lies in the same direction as the constellation Perseus, which can be found in the north-eastern part of the sky.
While the skies light up several time a year by other meteor showers , the Perseids are widely sought after by astronomers and stargazers. This is because at its peak, one can see 60 to a 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place.
Where Can I See the Perseids?
The Perseids can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Look between the radiant, which will be in the north-east part of the sky and the zenith (the point in sky directly above you).
While you can easily see a shooting star with the naked eye just looking straight up, the table below shows the exact direction of the Perseids from your location.
Location in the Sky Tonight
Slight chance to see Perseids, table below is updated daily and shows position for coming night.
Perseids meteor shower for Munich (Night between 9 Aug and 10 Aug)
Time Azimuth/Direction Altitude
Tue 01:00 43°Northeast 38.5°
Tue 02:00 47°Northeast 45.6°
Tue 03:00 51°Northeast 53.2°
Tue 04:00 53°Northeast 61.1°
Tue 05:00 50°Northeast 69.0°
Tue 22:00 24°North-northeast 22.3°
Tue 23:00 31°North-northeast 26.9°
Wed 00:00 37°Northeast 32.5°
Direction to see the Perseids in the sky:
Azimuth is the direction, based on true north, a compass might show a slightly different value.
Altitude is height in degrees over horizon.
Note that this is not the prime period to watch the Perseids, so there may be few or no meteors visible this night.
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