The room was dark and quiet. The Mysticals were just about to go to bed when Verum’s crystal ball buzzed. It lightened up and filled the room’s walls and ceiling with stars, planets, and the Moon.
“Woah,” Verum said, “August is going to be a busy month for stargazers. This month, we will be able to see a Supermoon, the Perseid meteor shower, Saturn’s rings, and more!”
“What? Really?” Orak sat up straight in his bed. “Wait, let me note down the dates,” he quickly opened his notebook and started writing.
“On August 13, the Perseid meteor shower will hit the peak. The Perseid meteor shower takes place every year between July and August. It is the most popular meteor shower. People from all over the world enjoy watching it,” Verum informed.
“A meteor shower?” Felix said. “What’s that? And what causes them?”
Verum explained, “A meteor is a space rock (also known as meteoroid) that enters the Earth’s atmosphere. As it enters, it burns and we see it as a trail of bright light falling through the sky. Hence, a meteor is called a shooting star. When many meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at the same time, it is called a meteor shower.
But where do these meteors come from? They are debris (dust and rock) left behind by the comets as they orbit the Sun. The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Stargazers will be able to see around 150 shooting stars a night!”
“The view must be dazzling,” Felix dreamed of watching the meteor shower.
“What’s the next celestial event?” Scorch was curious.
“Next, the Saturn-lovers can observe the planet’s rings closely through telescopes or binoculars. On August 27, the planet will be lit up. On August 30, it will be close to the Moon,” Verum said.
“There’s another celestial event on August 30, a Supermoon called the Blue Moon,” Verum said, “A supermoon is a full moon. It occurs when the Moon is at the point of its orbit closest to the Earth. The Blue Moon will be the biggest full moon of the year!”
“I am so excited about all the events,” Orak gushed, “I will arrange a telescope so all of us can observe the night sky!”
“Hurray!” the three Mysticals chorused.