Perseid Meteor Shower - August 2008

This composite image shows three meteor tracks from the morning of August 12, 2008; the time of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The region of the sky shown in the image includes Cassiopeia (upper left) through Perseus (middle), to Auriga and Taurus (lower right). The Pleiades are the small cluster of stars in the middle right.

My visual observation of the Perseids this year found the shower more energetic than last year. At times I saw a meteor per minute with many multiples. While watching the Perseids, I also noted a number of sporadic meteors whose trails ended near Perseus.

The Perseids are typically faint and a dark, clear, moonless sky is necessary to see the shower at its best. While there is light pollution in the area, my location benefited from dust clearing rains that took place earlier in the week. This coupled with a cooperative moon that had set earlier in the morning really helped make this year's Perseid Meteor Shower live up to its reputation of putting on a fine show.