Question 1: Today’s image captures the Perseid meteor shower. During which month does it typically peak?
- August
- December
- March
Answer: August
Fact: The Perseids are considered by astronomers to be one of the best meteor showers of the year. While they are active from July through September, their peak occurs in mid-August, when they light up the night sky with a spectacular show of bright, fast-moving meteors.
Question 2: The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from which comet?
- Swift–Tuttle
- Encke
- Hale–Bopp
Answer: Swift–Tuttle
Fact: Comet Swift–Tuttle is a massive periodic comet with a 16-mile-wide nucleus and an orbital period of 133 years. It is the origin of the Perseid meteor shower, releasing debris that creates the Perseid cloud—a stream of particles following its orbit, many of which persist for around a thousand years.
Question 3: In which state is Great Basin National Park?
- Nevada
- Texas
- Oregon
Answer: Nevada
Fact: Great Basin National Park, located in east-central Nevada and established in 1986, takes its name from the arid, mountainous Great Basin region that surrounds it. The park is home to ancient bristlecone pines, the Lehman Caves, the Wheeler Peak Glacier, and offers some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States—an ideal setting for viewing the Perseid meteor shower.