Thursday, August 12, 2010

Planets align and Perseid meteor shower

"The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every 133 years the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. When Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus."
"2010 is a good year for Perseids because the Moon won't be up during the midnight-to-dawn hours of greatest activity. "

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