As Long As The Sky Is Sunny, You Can Watch Perseid Meteor Rain In The Sky All Over Indonesia On August 13

Illustration (Photo: Austin Schmid / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) stated that the Perseid meteor shower will color the sky in the early hours of August 13, 2023. BRIN Astronomy and Astrophysics Senior Researchers Thomas Djamaluddin said the Perseid meteor shower was an annual event when the earth passed through the dust remnant of the Swift-Tuttle comet. "It happened from mid-July to the end of August. The highest concentration of dust was crossed by the earth around August 12. This year occurred on August 13", he said when contacted in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, August 11. Djamaluddin revealed that the Perseid meteor shower is classified as a fairly strong meteor shower with an average of one to two meteors per minute. The space phenomenon can be witnessed throughout Indonesia in the early hours of August 13 (Saturday night) from 01.30 to 05.00 local time. According to him, the conditions for watching the Perseid meteor shower are sunny weather, the location of the observation is not disturbed by light pollution, and the northeastern field is also not blocked by buildings or trees. Perseid is one of the brightest meteor showers of the year, which anyone can see. The meteor shower comes from comet Swift-Tuttle, an iceball, and a large rock that spills dusty debris while orbiting around the sun. When the earth passed by, he said, the pieces were trapped in the Earth's atmosphere and burned, creating a rising light. Perseid got his name from the constellation Perseus, he said, because the meteor path started from the constellation in the sky. The maximum intensity of the Perseid meteor shower reaches 100 meteors per hour. The meteor shower is sought after by astronomers and star connoisseurs because it occurs almost every year.

No need for special equipment or a lot of expertise to see Perseid meteor showers because they can be seen directly with the eyes, the sky is bright and dark, and patient. Furthermore, Djamaluddin revealed that the fog caused by air pollution during the dry season could interfere with the meteor shower observations.