Do you take time to look up to the stars? Or maybe you live in the city surrounded by a haze of lights. Unfortunately, we tend to spend too much time indoors and seldom do we venture away from civilization. Well this August try to make an exception and I promise you it’ll be well worth it. Go out and enjoy the annual Perseids meteor shower.
As long as I can remember the week surrounding mid-August has been somewhat of sacred. My “maman” would give us a tarp, foam pads, blankets and pillows. What for? Simple to set it up in the lawn away from the house where we had a great vantage point of the night sky and Perseid meteor shower. Although we were only a few hundred feet from my parents house, neighbors were far in between in my little village in “La Beauce” and offered perfect dark star gazing skies. Then my “papa” would lay down and teach us all about the different constellations and planets.
The tradition still survives as every year I try to find a great location to go marvel at the meteor shower. Close by to Corner Brook, our favorite spot is on top of Marble Mountain Ski hill. But stay away from the city’s light pollution.
A little Astronomy
The Earth’s annual revolution around the sun allows us to enjoy the Perseids meteor shower every year around the same dates in August. The Earth will pass in the path of Comet Swift Tuttle from July 17th until August 24th. However it’s densest area will be experience around August 12-13th in 2017. As the comet’s debris enter our atmosphere they start burning and make what we experience as shooting stars.
From year to year the number of shooting stars one can experience greatly varying. Some of the best years we have seen upwards of 150-200 meteors within an hour. Unfortunately full moons tend to shade many stars thus reducing the amount shooting stars. This makes new moons the best, offering pitch black skies.
The Northern Hemisphere is definitely one of the best location to fully enjoy the Perseids meteor shower. Nevertheless they still can be seen down to the mid-Southern hemisphere. Their direction stems from the constellation of Perseus which is where they get their names from.
Tips for best Meteor Shower night
- Find a dark sky away from the city’s light pollution
- Best time to watch is right before dawn
- Bring a sleeping bag, it’s much easier to lay down and less painful on the neck
- Grab some binocular if you don’t have a telescope to look at the moon’s craters.
So go find a nice dark location, keep your eyes on the weather and go enjoy the Perseids Meteor Shower. Also don’t forget to make a wish on all those shooting stars. Leave a comment to let us know how many stars you saw and where you went.
Alex
Live Wildly Intrepid and Aspire!
