A Nightly, Natural Spectacle Has Arrived In The Albany Sky
It is a natural phenomenon that arrives every July that is best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere. That means you Albany!
If you have been known to admire the cosmos in the night sky, you are really going to want to look up in the weeks ahead! According to NASA, the annual Perseid Meteor shower is happening now through August 24th. NASA says the shower peaks in mid-August and is "...considered the best meteor shower of the year. With very fast and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long 'wakes' of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere." These particular meteors are also known for their fireballs! Translation? You'll probably get to see some pretty spectacular sights in the Albany night sky.
So how are we blessed with these fireballs in the night sky? NASA says the meteors are "comet particles" and small pieces of asteroids that burn up as they pass through the earth's atmosphere at a speed of 37 miles per second! That's almost as fast as my kids tear through McNugget Happy Meal to get to the toy.
Now if you plan on doing some meteor viewing in the days and weeks ahead, put a pot of coffee on or stock up the mini-cooler with a few extra cold ones. NASA says while the Perseids can be seen as early as 10 pm, prime viewing time is in the pre-dawn hours. So whoever said nothing good happens after midnight was obviously wrong! NASA says so!
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