Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Fine Dictionary

Perseid

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
  1. Perseid
    (Astron) One of a group of shooting stars which appear yearly about the 10th of August, and cross the heavens in paths apparently radiating from the constellation Perseus. They are probably fragments of Swift's comet 1862 (III).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  1. (n) Perseid
    One of the August meteors: so named because they seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus.
  2. (n) Perseid
    The flock of Perseids is of great extent and moves in a path apparently coincident with that of Tuttle's comet of 1862, and now forms almost a complete oval ring around the sun. It gives us, therefore, more or less of a shower each year, beginning in the latter part of July and lasting till late in August, but most abundant about August 12. The Perseids are for the most part yellowish, and move with medium velocity, not as swiftly as the bluish Leonids, but more swiftly than the Bielids.
Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary From Perseus

Usage in the news

The best viewing, however, still will be during the darkest part of the night because the Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, according to EarthSky. latimes.com

So why are they called Perseids . acotrib.com

Cranbrook astronomy director Mike Narlock says the Perseids seldom fail to disappoint. detfm.org

"The Perseids always put on a good show.". latimes.com

Nothing that is, except for the crescent moon, Venus and a flurry of Perseids . latimes.com

The Perseids are tiny bits of rock and debris from an old comet, which is named Swift-Tuttle after the astronomers who discovered it in 1862. mvtimes.com

Amateur Radio and the Perseids . arrl.org

When the Perseids peak August 11-12, the skies will definitely be dark as we'll only have a thin crescent moon rising in the eastern sky after 1 a.m. timesrecordnews.com

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, Aug 11-12, when the Perseids will peak, the sky will be darker because a thin crescent moon will rise in the eastern sky after 1 a.m. twincities.com

The Perseids are already around, having been active only in a very weak and scattered form since around July 17. csmonitor.com

This year the Perseids peak late Friday evening to the early morning hours of Saturday. ashingtonpost.com

One of the reasons the Perseids don't post a major risk to astronauts on the space station is because, astronomically speaking, astronauts are rather small, Cooke said. csmonitor.com

The Perseids ' peak occurs after midnight August 12. astronomy.com

Nature's Best Lightshow: Meet the Perseids . foxnews.com

History of the Perseids . foxnews.com

Usage in literature

A dawdling August Perseid scratched a thin mark of light across the blackness. "Vigorish" by Gordon Randall Garrett

For this reason, Leverrier pronounced, in 1867, the Perseid to be of older formation than the Leonid system. "A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century" by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

The name given to these meteors, "Perseids," arises from the fact that their radiant point is situated in the constellation of Perseus. "Astronomy of To-day" by Cecil G. Dolmage

Besides November, the months of August (Perseids), April (Lyrids), and December (Geminids) are favorable. "Astronomy" by David Todd

The Perseid Alcmena, wife of Amphitryon of Tiryns, was Hercules' mother, Zeus his father. "Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3" by Various