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Perseid Meteor Shower
August 12, 2009 by
Perseid meteor shower was witnessed last year in late July. This year, the event will occur again on Wednesday and Thursday as Earth runs into a trail of dust and pebbles in the orbit.
The usually unexciting night sky will be painted with “falling stars,” which are actually dozens of meteors passing per hour. This debris strikes the upper atmosphere at around 60 kilometers (37 miles) per second, a speed that causes it to burn up into white-hot streaks. The bigger ones may appear as fireballs.
Image Source: AP
East Asia has the best view to see the shower at its most intense moment, which is predicted for 1800 GMT on August 12, according to the US publication Sky and Telescope.
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