The 2002 version of the annual Perseid meteor shower was an impressive event for observers who were in the right place at the right time, according to preliminary reports from amateur and seasoned skywatchers around the globe.
The sky show peaked from late Sunday into early Tuesday and continues at a significantly reduced level through Aug. 18.
During stretches of time that lasted 15 minutes or more, a few devout observers counted shooting stars at rates of more than two per minute. Many people witnessed displays of one meteor per minute.
Experts had predicted the Perseids would produce a meteor per minute during its peak this year, and possibly more. The Perseids are known for short impressive bursts of activity.
The results
The following observations were reported to
Daniel Fischer reported from a Greek island, under very dark skies, seeing 15-minute bursts of activity that equated to hourly rates of 150. For longer periods, he observed rates of a meteor every 60 seconds.
Marco Langbroek watched from Europe and had a frustrating view hampered by intermittent cloud cover. Nonetheless, during two windows of time he estimated peak hourly rates of 50 and 80 for short stretches.
A Japanese skywatcher, Hiroshi Ogawa, reported hourly rates that hovered in the dozens for long stretches and made brief forays to rates exceeding 150 per hour.
These and other observers also reported seeing a few enjoyable fireballs, larger meteors that generated stunningly bright mini-explosions of light. One viewer, Denis Denissenko, noticed several instances in which two shooting stars arrived seemingly as a pair, within five seconds of each other.
An amateur observer on vacation in Nags Head, NC phoned SPACE.com Monday morning to report counting 1 meteor per minute under slightly hazy skies at the beach. Conditions that suggest there were more shooting stars up there that went unseen because they were faint.
Not everyone was impressed.
"I must say this is the worst Perseid display I have seen in the last 15 years," said Thomas Dorman of Texas.
On Internet bulletin boards, other observers from around the United States expressed frustration at seeing far fewer shooting stars than they had expected.
Astronomers note that to see the advertised peak rates of a meteor shower, one needs very dark skies away from cities. Also required is a clear view unhampered by trees or other obstructions, plus a haze-free atmosphere. Trained eyes, practiced in spotting and counting meteors while straining peripheral vision to its limits, are also useful.
Give me more
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by bits of debris left behind by a comet called Swift-Tuttle. The bits vaporize and create streaks of light as they plow through Earth's atmosphere. Each August, Earth travels through streams of debris laid down on some of the comet's previous passes through the inner solar system. Swift-Tuttle orbits the Sun once every 130 years.
The Perseids, visible only from the Northern Hemisphere,
now but will still provide a handful of shooting stars through the middle of this week, particularly in the early morning hours. Also, as many as a dozen meteors per hour unrelated to the Perseids are typically visible in the pre-dawn hours this time of year. And a patient skywatcher can see two or three non-Perseids each hour before midnight.
For those who missed the best of the Perseids, or saw it and want more, two more promising opportunities await this year.
The Leonid meteor shower, set to peak Nov. 19, is expected to provide "storm" rates exceeding 1,000 shooting stars per hour. And the December Geminid meteor shower could match or exceed the Perseids.
Editor's Note: Expect complete coverage of all upcoming meteor showers in SPACE.com's
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