SCIENCE FILE: An exploration of issues and trends affecting science, medicine and the environment. : Moonlight Makes for Off Year to View Perseid Meteor Showers
From Times staff and wire reports
This may not be a good year to watch the acclaimed Perseid meteors. For the past few Augusts, sky gazers were treated to good-to-incredible showers spawned by the return of Comet Swift-Tuttle--the parent of the Perseids. This year, however, the gibbous moon will brighten the sky and wash out a lot of the meteors.
Astronomers are predicting about 60 meteors an hour. But with a bright moon on Saturday and Sunday nights (the height of the showers), most may be invisible, said astronomer Neil Nagar of the University of Maryland. He suggests waiting until after midnight to start watching, preferably about 3 a.m. Some meteors may be visible for several days after the peak.
