Astronomy - USA (2020-08)

Looking northeast

2 A.M., August 12

Polaris

Radiant

Algol

Pleiades

Capella

Aldebaran

ARIES

PERSEUS

TAURUS

AURIGA

10°

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 45

12th). The Moon — the bane

of most observing events —

will be at its Last Quarter

phase, so it will rise at local

midnight (1 a.m. for those

observing daylight saving

time) and be only half illumi-

nated, meaning it will pro-

duce only one-tenth the light

of the Full Moon.

What’s going on?

Meteor is often confused with

meteoroid and meteorite. The

difference is simple: A particle

is a meteoroid (made of rock,

metal, or a combination of

both) in space. It becomes a

meteor when it enters Earth’s

atmosphere and creates a

glowing column of gas. If

LEFT: Meteor

photographers often

combine exposures to

show many Perseids

over a period of time.

This composite, made

August 13, 2015,

combines 45 exposures

of 13 seconds apiece,

taken from Mount

Rainier National Park.

MATTHEW DIETERICH

BELOW: Perseid

meteors originate

from a point called

the radiant, which lies

near the northern tip

of the constellation. To

see the most meteors,

look roughly 30º away

from the radiant.

ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY