The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus, which is where the streaks appear to originate in the sky. Between Perseus and Cassiopeia is one of the more interesting binocular objects in the sky. In fact, by the 19th century the night sky had become crowded with overlapping and often contradictory constellation boundaries and names as different schools of astronomy prepared their own versions of star maps. The Sky Tonight, 2pm In this live and interactive show, take a tour of the sky as seen from our area. It's the brightest star and easiest to spot. The constellation Perseus the Hero is high in the sky several hours after sunset. Perseus and Cassiopeia are high overhead too. 10 Best Places To Visit in Ethiopia. The shower’s name is partly derived from the Greek Περσείδες (Perseides), a term from Greek mythology meaning “the sons of Perseus.” The meteor shower is associated with Perseus because the radiant, or the point from which the Perseids appear to come in the sky, is located in the direction of Perseus … Hence the name of this shower: the Perseids. Sky & Telescope Perseid meteor A bright Perseid meteor streaked down on August 7, 2010, over buildings at the Stellafane amateur astronomy convention in Springfield, Vermont. Look for the famous Double Cluster between Perseus and Cassiopeia if you have binoculars. Perseus is easily visible in the night sky due to the brightness of its stars. Visit now How to plan a safe visit. Perseus will rise in your northeast sky a little before midnight. I'm sure you have seen it - it looks like a W. If you take the W, imagine it's right side up, and split it into two Vs, then take the left hand V and extend the right side of that V downward, the next big group of stars is Perseus. Recommended for ages 4+. Perseus, the 24th-largest constellation, is located in the northern sky. The whole sky, actually. One of the most popular meteor showers will soon unleash shooting stars across the night sky! injanier uses the same method I use. Cassiopeia: The Most Beautiful Constellation To The Night Sky. What causes the Perseid meteor shower? They can be seen all across the sky; however, because of the shower's radiant in the constellation of Perseus, the Perseids are primarily visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The stellar configuration is thought to resemble the Greek hero Perseus raising a diamond sword above his head with one hand while holding the decapitated head of the Gorgon Medusa in the other. Also in Perseus, you can follow the eclipses of the variable star Algol (Beta Persei). [ 3 December 2020 ] Dramatic video shows catastrophic collapse of Arecibo instrument platform News [ 30 November 2020 ] SOFIA opens a surprising window on quasars and galactic evolution News [ 24 November 2020 ] Mars rover data indicates ancient megafloods across Gale Crater News Sirius star facts include its being in the constellation Canis Major, and being easily found by following a line through Orion's belt to his right. Use it to locate a planet, the Moon, or the Sun and track their movements across the sky. Where and When to Look. The Perseids are widely sought after by astronomers and stargazers because most years at its peak, one can see 60 to 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place. Sky & Telescope / Dennis di Cicco At magnitude 3.7 and 3.8, NGC 869 and NGC 884 are brighter than many of the other open clusters in the night sky, and this makes them easier to find. That does not mean that you cannot see any meteors until that time, and you do not have to look directly at the radiant in Perseus to see them. The Double Cluster lies directly between the constellations Perseus, and Cassiopeia. This sky map shows the location of the constellation Gemini and its star pattern in relation to other constellations in the night sky in early evening as seen from mid-northern latitudes. Perseus and Andromeda, 12:30pm The stars tell the story of beautiful Andromeda, who is punished by the gods for her mother’s bragging, sacrificed to a sea monster, and then rescued by Perseus. Cassiopeia is easy to find in the Northern sky. Once you've located it, you can pick out the other stars, including the demon star Algol, by mentally transposing the lines on the chart onto the sky. The map also shows the phases of the Moon, and all solar and lunar eclipses. How to watch Perseids meteor shower in the UK until 24 August. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the Greek mythological hero Perseus.It is one of the 48 ancient constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and among the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Click on each row to view the object complete details. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. Sky & Telescope illustration The nuggets of Grape Nuts cereal are a good proxy for the cometary dust grains that create meteor showers. Auriga, the Charioteer, is now high in the sky, with its prominent star Capella, one of the brightest stars in the sky. Origin and History Perseus is included in the ancient star catalogs of Eudoxos of Knidos, Aratos of Soli, and Ptolemy. Sharing a region of sky with the Perseus constellation is a vast neighborhood of galaxies called the Perseus cluster. October 21, 2018 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Recurring Event . It has an apparent magnitude of -1.46. Don’t miss them! EarthSky’s lunar calendar shows the moon phase for every day in 2021. But they may appear anywhere as quick streaks. Astronomers call Perseus the radiant. The table below is a complete list of all the 152 deep sky objects belonging to the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC) catalogues that are present in the Perseus constellation. The Perseids peak on the night of Aug. 11-12, boasting up to 75 meteors per hour. Like most meteor showers, there are two important sets of dates to keep in mind when you try to see the Perseids: The Perseids meteor shower occurs from July 17 to August 24 each year; during this time, there is a varying amount of meteoric activity that you can see on any given night from the radiant point near the constellation Perseus. Beta The Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above Ottawa on a date of your choice. Perseus rises around 11 PM. He’s home to the famous Double Cluster, comprising NGC 869 and NGC 884 (also called H and Chi [χ] Persei). Of course, many of the constellation names are more modern -- Telescopium, the telescope, being a rather obvious newcomer. It's a group of … That period of origination is called the radiant. If you find yourself struggling to sleep tonight, you could catch a glimpse of a stunning meteor shower if you head outside. Ptolemy described Perseus and 47 other constellations in the second century. In fact, it’s better that you look straight above your head, though do expect the comet trails to originate from the position of Perseus in the night sky. Deep sky objects in Perseus - Full list. They will be a dazzling and exceedingly rare sight near the young moon in our evening sky. The shooting stars will seem to come from the constellation Perseus, in the northeastern sky. NGC 869 and NGC 884 are two open clusters collectively known as the Double cluster. Here’s how to see the Milky Way in the summer night sky. This month, we talk about one of the night sky’s most magnificent sights—the summer Milky Way, which is the galaxy in which our Sun and all of its planets are located. It is visible in northerly areas of the Southern hemisphere from mid spring to early summer. Following the changes of Algol makes for an interesting night with binoculars or even the unaided eye; check Sky and Telescope for the times of its dimming. Ethiopia’s role in the story of the Almighty God; Maaza Mengiste’s “The … Locate Perseus on the chart, then turn to face the direction indicated and look for Mirfak in the sky. RMG describes the Perseid shower - named because the meteors appear to dart out of the Perseus constellation, after the hero of Greek myths - as "simply one … And while these ultra-fast meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, they all seem to emanate from a single spot called the radiant, which in this case is in the constellation Perseus. This is because the direction, or radiant, from which the shower seems to come in the sky lies in the same direction as Perseus. Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus and Andromeda November 3, 2016 Perseus and Andromeda is a fun-filled story of the beautiful but unfortunate princess Andromeda, who in divine punishment for her mother’s bragging, is sacrificed to a sea monster—and rescued by the Greek hero Perseus. Perseus cluster. Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus & Andromeda. It will not get high in the northeast until 3 AM or so. Sirius is the brightest star visible in Earth's night sky, and as such it is among the most famous stars. However, don’t make the mistake of staring at Perseus all night because, in practice, its “shooting stars” can appear at any time of night and in any part of the sky. Perseus is visible from August to March in the Northern hemisphere. Welcome to the Night Sky Map for August 2020! 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