This weekend may be a particularly good time to catch sight of a falling star in the night sky. It’s the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower and WLVR’s Brad Klein speaks with a local amateur astronomer about how best to see meteors in the night sky.
- This weekend, August 12 and 13, marks the peak for viewing the annual Perseid meteor shower
- The best time for viewing is after midnight and before dawn. Shooting stars may appear anywhere in the night sky so you can look up in any direction.
- NASA predicts up to 40 meteors per hour may be visible under good conditions
Marty McGuire is an avid amateur astronomer who lives in Bethlehem. He says that the best way to watch is in a comfortable chair where you can look up into a large portion of the night sky.
What are commonly called ‘shooting stars’ are really particles of dust and rock. In this case left behind in space by a comet known as Swift-Tuttle. When the Earth passes through this orbiting debris, even small bits can be seen as they burn up in our planet’s atmosphere. The relatively rare pieces of comet that survive their fiery descent and strike the ground are known as meteorites.
McGuire, who goes by the name Backyard Astronomy Guy on social media, says that he does indeed prefer to view the Perseids from his backyard in Bethlehem. “You will have a greater chance of seeing more meteors the further you get away from city lights,” he said. But it’s also nice to be in a comfortable spot, maybe with some refreshments and friends nearby to enjoy the celestial show.
Although the meteor shower peaks this weekend, it continues through the remainder of August, so that any clear dark night may produce smaller numbers of shooting stars.
