The Perseids meteor shower is expected to peak on Monday next week, with the up to 100 meteors per hour, with the number expected to reach more than 30 one or two days before and after, which will surely be a treat for stargazers.
The Perseids are named after the Greek hero Perseus, as the meteor shower appears to come from the eponymous constellation.
According to myth, Perseus slew the gorgon Medusa by cutting off her snake-covered head while viewing her reflection in his shield.
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片：歐新社
While the meteors are active from mid-July, the best time to see them is next Monday with the Perseids most visible in the northern hemisphere.
The Perseids arise when the Earth passes through dust that has been shed from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
Derek Smale, program manager for the UK Space Agency said: “As we travel through it, that stuff cascades into our atmosphere and it’s travelling at phenomenal speeds so [it] heats up,” adding that many of the fragments are no bigger than a grain of sand.
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片：歐新社
Comets, sometimes referred to as “dirty snowballs,” are primitive objects that formed at the same time as the solar system, about 4.6bn years ago.
Lucie Green, a professor of physics at University College London and president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: “It’s exciting to think that those tiny bits of dust are actually the leftover material from which the whole solar system formed. In that way, looking at this meteor shower has huge significance. Each streak of light a messenger from the past.”
According to NASA, up to 100 meteors can be seen streaking across the sky every hour during the Perseids shower — at least, Smale adds, where there are dark skies — with exceptionally bright meteors, known as fireballs, part of the show. Some fireballs can be as bright as Venus in the night sky, and even have colors of reds, blues or greens.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower in 2024
‧ Activity period: July 17 to Aug. 24
‧ Peak: Aug. 12, 13:00-16:00 GMT (Taiwan time from 21:00 on Aug. 12 to 00:00 on Aug. 13)
‧ Best viewing time: after midnight on August 11 and 12
‧ Best viewing location: Mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere
‧ Expected number of meteors during peak: 100 meteors per hour
(The Guardian, with staff writer)
8月12日將迎來英仙座流星雨極大期，預估流星數量每小時可達100顆，而且前後一、兩天也都可達30顆以上，將是一場觀星盛宴。
之所以稱做英仙座流星雨，是因流星雨看起來像是來自英仙座，而英仙座是以希臘神話英雄柏修斯為名。
神話故事說，柏修斯透過盾牌上的倒影看著蛇髮女妖梅杜莎，將她覆滿蛇的頭砍下，殺死了她。
雖然流星雨自七月中旬就開始活躍，但觀星的最佳時間是下週一，此時英仙座流星雨在北半球可見度最高。
當地球穿過由109P/斯威夫特-塔特爾彗星脫落的碎屑時，英仙座流星雨就會出現。
英國太空署計劃經理德里克．斯梅爾表示：「當我們穿越這些碎屑時，這些物質會像瀑布一樣進入我們的大氣層，且速度驚人，因此溫度會上升」。他並補充說，許多碎片不比一粒沙大。
彗星常被稱為「髒雪球」，是約46億年前與太陽系同時形成的原始天體。
倫敦大學學院物理學教授兼大眾天文學會主席露西．葛林說：「這些微小的塵埃實際上是形成整個太陽系的剩餘材料，這想來就令人興奮。因此，觀看這場流星雨有著巨大的意義。每一道光都是來自過去的使者」。
據美國太空總署表示，英仙座流星雨期間，每小時可看到多達100顆流星劃過天空——斯梅爾補充說，至少在黑暗的天空是如此——其中有異常明亮的流星，被稱為火球，這是英仙座流星雨的一部分。有些火球可像夜空中的金星一樣明亮，甚至有紅色、藍色或綠色等顏色。
2024年觀看英仙座流星雨的最佳時間
‧ 活躍期：7月17日至8月24日
‧ 極大期：8月12日，格林威治標準時間13:00-16:00 （台灣時間8月12日21:00至8月13日00:00）
‧ 最佳觀星時間：8月11日至12日午夜之後
‧ 最佳觀星地點：北半球中緯度
‧ 極大期預估流星數量：每小時100顆
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 我們很早到達電影院。 ˇ We arrived at the theater very early. χ We arrived the theater very early. 註︰arrive 為不及物動詞，後面如果有受詞要用 at 或 in。例如：They arrived in Taipei yesterday.。一般大地方，如國家、省、大城市等前面用 in，凡小地方城鎮、學校等則用 at。 2. 開車半小時以後，我們到達了海灘。 ˇ After half an hour’s drive, we got to the beach. χ After half an hour’s drive, we got the beach. 註︰come, go, get（來、去、到達）某地時，在表示地點的名詞前面應該用 to，如 go to school, go to Taipei, come to Shanghai 等。如果這些動詞後面所跟的是 here, there, home 等副詞，則不用 to。 3. 明天我會回辦公室。 ˇ I will be back in the office tomorrow. χ I will be back to office tomorrow. 註︰to be back 一語裡的 back 是副詞，不是介詞，所以後面要用 at (the market) 或 in (the office)。 假如假期結束，要回學校上課了則可說： ? Kids will be back
RSS