The Perseids - August Shooting Stars (B2)
August sky turns into meteor show every year. It's the best time to watch shooting stars - the Perseids. They are probably the most popular because the sky is often clear and the nights are still warm. For astronomers and romantic souls it must be a perfect opportunity to spend a night out.
The Perseids are a meteor shower associated with comet Swift Tuttle. The comet's debris are spread along its orbit and when the Earth crosses the orbit, some of them enter the atmosphere. Before they burn out in the atmosphere, we can see them as meteors.
They are called the Perseids, because for people on the Earth they come seemingly from one point in the sky (called radiant point) and it is in Perseus constellation.
Perseids are active from mid-July but their peak is usually in mid-August. This year it's the night from 12th to 13th August. The conditions are excellent this year, thanks to little light disturbance from the Moon.. However, there is one more thing, which can spoil the show, and it's light pollution. So if you have a chance, go as far from city lights as possible.
The Perseids (source: pixabay.com)
Vocabulary to remenber
shooting star - padající hvězda
comet [ˈkɒmɪt] - kometa
constellation [ˌkɒnstɪˈleɪʃən] - souhvězdí
debris [debrɪ] - úlomky, zbytky
seemingly [ˈsiːmɪŋlɪ] - zdánlivě
peak [piːk] - vrchol, maximum
soul [səʊl] - duše
associated (with) [əˈsəʊʃɪˌeɪtɪd] - spojený (s)
spoil [spɔɪl] - zkazit
disturbance [dɪˈstɜːbəns] - rušení, rušivý efekt