That's Hot! Fiery Meteor Shower Last Night
Last night's meteor shower was the best in years
By KRISTIN NEHLS
Updated 1:55 PM CST, Wed, Aug 12, 2009
More than 100 meteors per hour streaked across the sky last night as the Earth passed through the dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to the Adler Planetarium.
Discovered 147 years ago, the Swift-Tuttle comet is a giant iceberg of ice, rock and dust particles. Those dust particles -- a.k.a. meteoroids -- have slowly cracked off from the comet over the years, forming a trail of debris that Earth’s orbit intersects about once a year.
The shooting starts reached their peak last night from 2:00 am to dawn, and although the best viewing has passed, you can still catch a glimpse of the meteors in the coming days, if weather permits.
If you want to try and sneak a peak, open dark fields away from city lights are the best places to go.
First Published: Aug 11, 2009 10:51 AM CST
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