If you love astronomy, Wednesday, Aug. 12 is your day. If you’re lucky enough to live in the right place, you could potentially witness three significant cosmic spectacles: a parade of planets, a total solar eclipse and the best meteor shower of the year.
Cosmic Events
The astronomy app Star Walk says the planets will appear along a broad arc from the east toward the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere, or toward the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere. The star of the day is the total solar eclipse that’ll be visible in Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a small corner of Portugal, according to NASA.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, casting its shadow on Earth’s surface. The moon will be completely covering the sun between 1 and just over 2 minutes, depending on location. If you are watching in person, do not look directly at the sun, as that can cause severe eye problems and blindness.
The Perseids — considered one of the best meteor showers of the year — will peak on Wednesday and Thursday, according to The Planetary Society. The Perseids can leave long ‘wakes’ of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere, and are known for larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.
Original reporting: Allentown News – 6abc Philadelphia — read the source article.
