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A meteor shower is one of the most fascinating natural phenomena. It is a natural celestial event, a phenomenon that happens in space or sky, in which several meteors (metals or rocks in space) are observed. The Perseids, or Perseids Meteor Shower, is one of the meteor showers that frequently takes place. The meteors are called Perseids because they appear near, or lying within the Perseus Constellation.
See the fact file below for more information on the Perseids or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Perseids worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
PERSEIDS AND SWIFT-TUTTLE
- The Perseids is a meteor shower related to the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
- A comet is a type of Small Solar System Body, an object floating in our Solar System that cannot be classified as a planet, a dwarf planet, or even a natural satellite like the moon.
- A comet, like The Comet Swift-Tuttle, is icy, so when it warms up as it floats closer to the Sun, the comet releases gases. The process is not called farting; it is called outgassing.
- The process becomes visible to the atmosphere and the gases released by a comet is what we refer to as the tail.
- The Perseid Cloud is the stream of debris or metal and rocks surrounding the orbit of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
- It means that the meteors we witness during the Perseid Meteor Showers are the same space-rocks that surround Comet Swift-Tuttle, as these rocks are bound and affected by the comet’s gravity.
- Not only are those the debris orbiting the Comet Swift-Tuttle, but the debris that comes from the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
- The Perseids Cloud is made up of the particles that are being ejected by the Comet Swift-Tuttle. This means that the meteors witnessed during the Perseid Meteor Shower are also the comet’s dust.
- The Comet Swift-Tuttle takes 133 years to orbit the solar system, or to float around the Sun – no wonder why it ejects so many particles during its travel!
- The youngest particles that were ejected by the Comet Swift-Tuttle date back to 1865 while other particles consisting the Perseids Cloud have been in the stream for thousands of years.
- The youngest particles were the first to be witnessed and gave a mini-peak before the maximum meteor shower.
- The discovery of the fact that the Perseids Meteor Shower emanates from the constellation Perseus took place in 1835, as identified by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian who was not only an astronomer but also a mathematician and sociologist.
- Quetelet also founded and directed the Brussels Observatory.
- Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli discovered the relation between meteor showers and comets in 1866, after the Comet Swift-Tuttle’s perihelion (the phase when the comet is closest to the sun) passage in 1862.
PERSEIDS SHOWER SCHEDULE AND LOCATION
- The Perseids Meteor Shower takes place only once a year, and this meteor shower can be observed at its peak activity between the 9th of August until the 14th, depending on where you are and the specific location of the stream.
- The Perseids are visible all across the sky, yet it is primarily visible in Northern Hemisphere, as the radiant (the point or location from which the shower appears to hail) is in the constellation Perseus.
- The Northern Hemisphere is the top half of the Earth, the North of the Equator, in which the North Pole is located.
- The Northern Hemisphere is where the northern sky is observed and where the constellation Perseus is located.
- Staring at the sky for a long time makes you see clouds in shapes of animals, people, or other objects.
- This is what astronomers did with our stars, and the group of stars was called a constellation.
- A constellation is a group of stars forming an imaginary outline or pattern, like a connect-the-dots game.
- In the 2nd Century, an astronomer named Ptolemy listed the constellations.
- One of those constellations is Perseus, named after a hero in Greek Mythology.
- This is where the radiant of the Perseids is located.
- Many meteors arrive during dawn and noon, but sadly, they are not visible due to daylight.
- The majority of the Perseids meteors burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere above 80 kilometers.
- Some meteors that are observable before midnight come close to the Earth’s atmosphere, and some enter it, however, the meteor leaves the atmosphere immediately.
- This meteor grazing the atmosphere produces long bright trails and fireballs.
PERSEIDS IN CHRISTIAN BELIEF
- Saint Lawrence, or Lawrence of Rome, was martyred, persecuted and executed for his faith, as ordered by Roman Emperor Valerian on August 10, 258 AD.
- Because of this historical event, some Catholics believe that the Perseids are actually Saint Lawrence’s tears suspended in the sky, annually returning to earth every August 10.
Perseids Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Perseids across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Perseids worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about a meteor shower which is one of the most fascinating natural phenomena. It is a natural celestial event, a phenomenon that happens in space or sky, in which several meteors (metals or rocks in space) are observed. The Perseids, or Perseids Meteor Shower, is one of the meteor showers that frequently takes place. The meteors are called Perseids because they appear near, or lying within the Perseus Constellation.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Perseids Facts
- Perseids Blanks
- Sky Full Of Words
- Important People
- Yes or No
- Myth of Perseids
- Constellation Word Search
- Drawing Constellations
- See For Yourself!
- Shooting Stars
- Perseids Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Perseids called the Perseids?
The Perseids are called the Perseids because the meteors seem to come from the constellation of Perseus. Astronomers call this point where the meteors seem to come from the meteor shower’s radiant.
How long do the Perseids last?
The Perseids are a meteor shower that is active from July 14 to September 1. The Perseids reach their strongest point around the middle of August.
How big are the Perseids meteors?
The majority of Perseids are quite small, only about the size of a grain of sand.
How quickly do Perseids meteors travel?
When a Perseid meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it typically moves at 133,200 mph (214,365 kph).
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Link will appear as Perseids Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 27, 2023
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.