Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts

Thursday, August 11

Reign of the Perseids

It sounds like the name of a planet near Vulcan, but Perseids is the name of the meteor shower peeking this evening over the northern hemisphere.

Blame it on a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun. Each August the Earth passes through the comet's tale, creating a magnificent show. 

The Irish Times noted the Perseids even inspired John Denver years ago. His song Rocky Mountain High includes the lyrics “The Colorado rocky mountain high/I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky.”

Astronomy can be pretty inspiring.