The Perseids are Coming.......Hope for Clear Skies

[Mowich]

This weekend could be the best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower, one of the biggest annual meteor showers visible in the northern hemisphere.

"The times between Aug. 11 to the 13 is the peak period. That's when you had seen perhaps 50, 60 meteors per hour under clear dark skies -- if you can get away from the city lights," says CBC Calgary's Don Hladiuk.

You'll have to stay up late though. The best hours for viewing the meteor shower are 11 pm to dawn, and of course, you'll need to make sure you get away from city lights and hope that the weather cooperates and keeps the sky clear. According to Vancouver's H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, you'll want to look northeast, towards the constellation Perseus, the namesake of the event. The best part is that you won't even need binoculars or a telescope to view the event. But be sure to give your eyes some time, about 20 minutes, to get used to the dark, notes Earthsky.org.Also, if you can't watch it this weekend, you might still be able to spot some meteors early next week.

The streaks in the sky are actually meteorites burning up in the atmosphere. According to NASA, the Perseids, which have been observed for more than 2,000 years, happens when our planet passes through dust left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

"The fragments light up due to the immense friction created when they plough into the gas surrounding Earth. Each such fragment is approximately the size of a dime, but the more constant, sporadic meteoroids have been around much longer, breaking down over time into tiny fragments only about as wide as a piece of human hair," NASA explains.

Don't forget to bring an extra layer if you're planning on staying out later. A little bug spray can't hurt either. Enjoy the meteors!

Perseid Meteor Shower: Where And How To Watch The Astronomical Event

 

[Blackleaf]

Stargazers' paradise: A shooting star burns brightly as it enters the skyline above Glastonbury Tor in Somerset ​

A composite photograph made from several long exposures of the Perseid meteor shower reaching its peak at the megalithic circle of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain​

Stunning: Stonehenge looked mythical against the backdrop of this shooting star which streaked across the night sky ​

A Perseid meteor (right) streaks across the sky past the light trail of an aircraft over the Lovell Radio Telescope - the largest in the world when it was built in 1955 - at Jodrell Bank in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire​

Spectacular: The meteor shower lit up the night sky and was captured by Tom Heaton over Edlington Castle in Northumberland ​

Star-struck: A meteor is seen during the Perseid meteor shower over the Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester, in Gloucestershire​

For one night only: Reader James Beck sent in this picture of a shooting star over Frinton-on-Sea in Essex ​

A Perseid meteor shoots across the sky above Oliver Ducket, an 18th century folly near Richmond, in north Yorkshire​

Starry eyed: The 16th Century Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland was lit up during the Perseid meteor shower as two meteors whizz across the night sky illuminated by the Milky Way​

Star burst: A shooting star appears in the night sky above Mow Cop Castle near Biddulph, Staffordshire. The shooting star was bright enough to be seen through the orange tinted clouds lit by the street lights of Manchester in the distance​

Magical: Andrew Wyte from Southsea snapped the shower over Stonehenge (top) while a stunning celestial light show took place over Holy Island at Lindisfarne Castle ​

A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle​

Rising star: A meteor is seen during the Perseids meteor shower over one of the stones of Avebury's Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire​

This is the annual Perseid Meteor Shower as witnessed from Powys, Wales, today at 2am. The image was captured by photographer and 'Aurora Hunter' Andy Keen in his garden
​

Earth's fireworks: Stargazers enjoyed clear skies as they watched the Perseid meteor shower over Tintern Abbey in south Wales ​

Meteors burn up in the atmosphere behind a Catholic church near the village of Bogushevichi, some 100 km from Minsk, Belarus​

A long exposure picture shows a shooting star burning up in the atmosphere over a beach in Anavissos, some 50 km southeast from Athens, Greece​

Read more: Perseid meteor shower: Spectacular reminder of a comet that won't pass by for 113 years | Mail Online ​

 

[#juan]

I've seen Perseid meteors since the mid fifties. Used to be able to see a meteor every thirty seconds or so. There is now so much light pollution that we see only the bigest and brightest which means one every fifteen minutes. My son is building an observatory near Princton that will solve some of these problems.

 

[Blackleaf]

I've seen Perseid meteors since the mid fifties. Used to be able to see a meteor every thirty seconds or so. There is now so much light pollution that we see only the bigest and brightest which means one every fifteen minutes. My son is building an observatory near Princton that will solve some of these problems.

In an empty place like Canada it shouldn't be too difficult - much easier than in Britain - to drive out to a rural area away from all the light pollution. Just a few minutes drive out of town and you're sorted.