NASA Catches First Glimpse of This Year's Perseid Meteor Shower

On the night of July 26, allsky cameras of the NASA fireball network detected three Perseid meteors in the skies above Tennessee and Alabama. The first seen by the cameras this year, these meteors are the “advance guard” of the Perseid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of Aug. 12.

 
A bright Perseid meteor crosses the sky over Huntsville, Ala. on July 26, 2011
Credit: NASA/MSFC/Meteoroid Environment Office
 

Want to watch the Perseids with NASA astronomy experts? Make plans to join astronomer Bill Cooke and his team from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for an “up all night” Web chat on the night of Aug. 12 and into the early morning of Aug. 13. You can ask your questions and also view a live Ustream view of the Perseids in the skies over Huntsville, Ala.

If you or another astronomy group is planning a live Web view of the Perseids, please leave us a comment and let us know — we’ll feature a link to your live Perseids Web stream!

More information about the chat is located here:  https://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/perseids_2011.html