THE PERSEID METEOR-SHOWER AT THE CURRENT TIME

The Perseid meteor shower is a well-known feature of the mid-August sky, and the event is generally assumed to be associated with Comet Swift-Tuttle. Over the last few years there has been increasing activity observed within the Perseid display, and this was interpreted by some as an indication that the parent comet was again approaching the Earth. This conjecture was proved correct with the recovery of Comet Swift-Tuttle in 1992 October. The formation of a stream of meteoroids by ejection from Comet Swift-Tuttle at its last apparition in 1862 and its subsequent evolution under the effects of the gravitational perturbations of the planets Earth, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are investigated. It is found that such meteoroids could be mainly responsible for the new activity observed a few hours prior to the traditional activity. The model also suggests that the new activity may continue to increase in prominence at least until 1994, and will continue to be observable into the next century.