METEORS SHOWER THE SKY; FALLING STARS FLASY IN EARLY MORNING

Late-night stargazers tonight and Monday will see some of the best known and most spectacular meteor showers of the year.

The annual Perseids Meteor Shower named after the constellation Perseus, which the meteors appear to hurl from will be at its peak Monday and Tuesday between midnight and 5 a.m., according to Craig Joseph, an astronomer and professor of physics at Southeast Missouri State University.

The constellation Perseus is situated in the northern hemisphere of the Milky Way. It includes an easily visible double cluster of stars.

The Perseids meteor swarm is visible for up to two weeks before and after it Aug. 12 peak each year.

Joseph said the meteors enter the earth's atmosphere at about 37 miles per second.

At an altitude of 70 to 80 miles, the "falling stars" will flash across the early morning sky at a rate of about 40 to 70 each hour.

"You should start seeing meteors as soon as the earth's western hemisphere turns into eastern sky toward the constellation." said Joseph. "This year, the shower should be better than usual, because there is no moonlight to interfere with vision. The clear, cool, dry weather will also improve visibility, making them easier to see."

Joseph suggested those who plan to stay up after midnight, or get up during the early morning hours, find a place that is dark with good northeastern visibility.

"Get away from bright city lights," he said. "A blanket or chair will certainly ease the strain on the neck. And don't forget the mosquito repellent.

"If you come out of a brightly lit room, give yourself some time for your eyes to become adjusted to the dark."

Joseph warned stargazers not to expect the meteors to fall like snowflakes.

"There is a popular misconception that the meteors fall like snow," he said. "That's not true. Be patient, enjoy them as the come, and take in the beauty and grandeur of the heavens as you wait for the next one to flash overhead."

Joseph said a meteoroid is a piece of space rock that travels through space at tens of thousands of miles per hour. Most meteoroids are stony debris left behind from the tail of comets.

When the meteoroid enters the earth's atmosphere and burns, it is called a meteor.

"If the meteor survives the fiery plunge through the atmosphere and actually hits the ground, it is called a meteorite," Joseph explained. "It's still the same piece of rock with a different name, depending on where it is in relation to the earth's surface."

Joseph said meteors constantly enter the earth's atmosphere and burn. "Each day, about a couple hundred tons of meteors burn up in the atmosphere," he said. "What is left is space or cosmic dust that can be found in roof storm gutter on your house.

"Next time you clean your gutters, take a magnet and hold it over the debris. Any material that sticks to the magnet is cosmic dust from meteors"

Joseph said meteoroids range from the size of a grain of sand to the size of a house.

"Most of the meteors we see at night are about the size of a grain of sand," he said. "A meteor the size of your fist would generate enough heat and light to be visible during the day."

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, other notable meteor showers that will occur before the new year include the Orionid, Oct. 20, and the Geminid, Dec. 13.