An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → meteor shower, one of the three most active of the year, which occurs between July 25 and August 20 with the greatest activity between August 8 and 14, peaking about August 12. The Perseids appear as the Earth’s orbit around the → Sun crosses the dusty tail of the comet → Swift-Tuttle, as first explained by Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910), an Italian astronomer.

Usually about 50 meteors can be seen per hour, but in outburst years (such as in 2016) the rate can be between 150-200 meteors an hour.

See also: → Perseus + -ids.