Updated

Updated · Space.com · Jul 16

NASA DEB Team to Broadcast Aug. 12 Total Solar Eclipse from Spain for 15 Million Viewers

Updated

Updated · Space.com · Jul 16

NASA DEB Team to Broadcast Aug. 12 Total Solar Eclipse from Spain for 15 Million Viewers

Q: What are the odds of spotting a Perseid meteor during the brief two minutes of solar totality on August 12th?

The odds are low, though not literally zero. The Perseids may be peaking on the night of Aug. 12–13, and the eclipse will briefly darken the sky during totality, but those are still poor conditions for meteor spotting compared with a normal meteor-watch. The shower’s headline rates of roughly 50 to 100 meteors per hour apply under ideal dark-sky conditions, typically in the predawn hours, with the radiant high in the sky and observers fully dark-adapted. During a total solar eclipse, totality lasts only about two minutes at best and much less in parts of Spain. The sky becomes twilight-dark, not fully night-dark, and observers’ eyes will not have time to fully adapt. Just as important, the Perseid radiant in Perseus will not be in its best position during the daytime eclipse, so the actual visible rate would be far below the shower’s advertised peak. That means the simple “100 meteors per hour equals several meteors in two minutes” calculation is misleading. In practice, most viewers should expect to see none during totality. A bright, lucky meteor is possible, and some eclipse watchers could catch one by chance, but it would be an exceptional bonus rather than something to count on. The better opportunity comes later that night, when the new moon will leave skies moonless and ideal for a proper Perseid watch.

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jul 16

Aug. 12 totality will be broadcast from Valoria la Buena, Spain, where a Space.com reporter will join NASA's Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast team for near-live eclipse coverage and data collection.
Charles Greenwald's volunteer team chose the site because the sun will sit less than 10 degrees above the western horizon during totality, making an unobstructed view and reliable connectivity critical.
The group plans to arrive on Aug. 10 to secure an observing location, test equipment and software, and prepare the public-facing stream for scientists and eclipse watchers.
Cloud cover remains the main risk to the broadcast and observations, even as flights, rail travel and field gear are already in place less than a month before the eclipse.
More than 15 million people are expected to lie within the path of totality, while separate Space.com coverage is also planned from Greenland.