We live in central Europe and enjoy watching the Perseids each year. According to this, the shower this year will be difficult to see because of the almost full moon.
Although the peak is around 12 August, given the cycle of the moon, is there a better optimal date to watch that takes into account the brightness of the moon?
just bumping this thread out of Zombieland as I am sure that Dopers must have some insight into this question…
Not a whole you can to to catch the peak this year as the 12th is three days before the full moon. Fortunately the peak is not all that sharp – it’s already started building – so what I would do is view on the 11th or better yet the 10th. Moonset is 0320 and 0230 respectively and the fewer meteors per hour will be more then compensated by that pesky moon’s disappearance. You want to be looking after midnight anyway as that’s when we’re facing into the wind, so to speak, and are getting the ones we run into rather than those that catch up from behind.
Yeah, I was just about to mention that meteor-watching is better after midnight, if you don’t mind being up at those times.
If you do mind, well, the Perseids happen every year. It’s not like you’re missing out on your only chance in a lifetime because of the phase of the moon.
DesertDog is right. https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-august-2-10/
thanks. That is very helpful. And I note those days are during the weekend, so even more convenient…