If you missed the supermoon on 1 August, here’s an opportunity to catch another celestial event.
This weekend, you can see the Perseids meteor shower from Singapore.
The best part? You don’t need any equipment if the skies are clear.
Best Time to View the Perseids
According to the Science Centre Observatory, the Perseids are one of the brighter meteor showers that occur annually.
Usually, the Perseids occur between mid-July and late August.
This year, the showers began on 17 July and will last until 24 August.
The best time to observe the Perseids in 2023 is on 13 August at 4 am.
It may also be possible to spot the Perseids on the morning of 12 August.
As long as there is no light pollution and cloud cover, the event can be viewed with the naked eye.
At this time, one can spot the maximum number of meteors.
If you are willing to wake up early, the best places to spot meteors would be open areas with unblocked surroundings.
The best areas would have little to no light pollution.
Some suggestions include nature parks, beaches and reservoirs.
If you want to see the phenomenon, avoid gazing directly at the Perseus constellation and look at the dark areas surrounding it instead.
You may be able to see the meteor streaks in these dark areas.
What is the Perseids Meteor Shower?
Meteor showers are caused when the Earth travels through interplanetary debris left behind by the tail of a comet or asteroid.
Denser debris clouds would cause more material to fall on Earth, giving us more meteors.
The materials collide into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, leaving a streak in the sky.
The Perseids occur when the Earth passes through a trail of space debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
If you didn’t know, Comet Swift-Tuttle is a giant comet discovered in 1862.
The last time it passed close to Earth was in 1992.
The Perseids get their name from the Perseus constellation.
The showers come from the same direction as the constellation.
As for the constellation, it is named after the Greek mythological hero Perseus.
Tips & Tricks
According to Facebook page Stargazing Singapore, locations like Bishan Park, West Coast Park and Changi Beach are good spots to catch the showers.
The page also suggests slightly more unconventional observation grounds like open-air multi-storey carparks and sky gardens.
The Perseids will not appear as a shower, despite their name.
They come one by one.
Patience is crucial when trying to catch a glimpse of the meteors.
You may only chance upon one meteor for the whole night.
There’s also the risk of not spotting anything at all.
Due to light pollution, viewing the Perseids n Singapore is difficult.
However, according to Stargazing Singapore, it may be possible to spot the showers when there are fast-moving clouds.
The colour of a meteor depends on its chemical composition, as seen in the picture below:
If you can’t wake up on Sunday, don’t fret.
The next major meteor shower that may be visible in Singapore will be the Geminids.
Set to occur in December, the Geminids is the biggest meteor shower, only slightly more spectacular than the Perseids.
In addition, the Science Centre Observatory has said that a blue moon may be visible in Singapore on 31 August.
The blue moon is expected to be the brightest and closest supermoon to the Earth this year.
Mind you, a blue moon isn’t actually blue.
It refers to the phenomenon when there is a second full moon in a month with two full moons.
Having two full moons in a month only happens once every two to three years.
The most recent blue moon was seen on 31 October 2020.