Prepare for a cosmic outburst this Weekend

 
Every year on August, astronomy enthusiasts look forward to a spectacular event known as the Perseid Meteor Shower.
 
But 2016 is not a usual year for sky spectators.
 
In a press statement, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke dubbed this year’s most popular meteor shower of the year as a surge. “This Perseid outburst coming up in August — you could think of it in simplistic terms as Jupiter’s gravity causing the particles to concentrate in front of Earth’s path… this year, instead of seeing about 80 Perseids per hour, the rate could top 150 and even approach 200 meteors per hour.”
 

 
Originating from the constellation Perseus (named after the Greek mythological hero), a few Perseids can be typically seen each night between July 17 and August 24. This year, its peak will happen on August 13.
 
In an interview with PanahonTV, PAGASA Space Sciences and Astronomy Section (SSAS) Chief Engr. Dario L. dela Cruz said that Perseid meteor shower will peak between 11:00 PM of August 12 until 5:00 AM of August 13.
 
However, the weather condition will play an important role for spectators in the Philippines. Currently, the southwest monsoon or habagat prevails in the country, bringing cloudy skies and rains especially over the western part.
 
“Depende sa weather. Kapag maulap, mahirap makita. May iba, ‘yung malalaking meteors, tatagos sa ulap.” (It depends on the weather. We’ll hardly see under cloudy skies, but large meteors might streak through clouds.)
 
Those who are lucky might see roughly 50 meteors per hour under favorable sky conditions.
 
In case you’ll miss the event, NASA will launch an online live streaming which can be accessed through this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc
 
 
 
REFERENCES:
http://www.space.com/32868-perseid-meteor-shower-guide.html
http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/index.php/transparency/about-pagasa/28-astronomy/424-sky-this-month