Today's Google doodle celebrates Perseid Meteor Shower 2014

Celebrating the celestial event Perseid Meteor Shower, Google today posted a doodle that shows meteor showers across the sky with gentle music playing in the background

Celebrating the celestial event Perseid Meteor Shower, Google today posted a doodle that shows meteor showers across the sky with gentle music playing in the background.

The meteor shower doodle was designed by Sophie Diao, who drew inspiration from "travel and time-lapse footage documenting meteor showers".

Pic Courtesy: Google

The Perseids meteor shower is related to comet Swift-Tuttle. They are so called because of the radiant they appear to arrive from. The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity between 11 and 14 August, depending on the particular location of the stream. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour.

The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 133-year orbit. Most of the particles have been part of the cloud for around a thousand years. When Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus.

Google had doodled this Meteor Shower earlier in 2009. "We've doodled them before, but we wanted to bring them back this year to encourage users to learn more about this fantastic celestial event," said doodler Sophie Diao.

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