Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Sci-Tech Hosts Free Perseids Viewing on Aug. 12 as New Moon Boosts 50 Meteors an Hour

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Sci-Tech Hosts Free Perseids Viewing on Aug. 12 as New Moon Boosts 50 Meteors an Hour

Q: If overcast clouds threaten this rare meteor peak, will local stargazers miss the year's most spectacular cosmic light show entirely?

No. If clouds spoil Wednesday night’s public session in Watertown, stargazers would miss the local event, but not the Perseids entirely. The shower is active for a wide window, from mid-July into late August, and its strongest activity typically spans Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, with useful viewing often extending a night or two on either side of the peak. Astronomy guidance cited in the background material notes that the best observing is usually after 11 p.m., especially in the pre-dawn hours, when meteor rates are highest. What makes this year unusual is not that the Perseids are rare, but that the peak coincides with a new moon, removing moonlight and creating especially dark skies. Under clear conditions, that could mean roughly 50 meteors an hour for many viewers, with ideal dark-sky estimates reaching closer to 90 to 100 per hour, plus bright fireballs. If Thompson Park is overcast, the immediate answer is simple: meteors cannot be seen through cloud cover, and Sci-Tech says the event will be canceled. But local skywatchers can still try again later that night if skies clear, or on the following night or two, when the shower should remain strong. The bigger risk may be weather and sky quality, not timing. Clear, dark skies are essential, and recent regional reports of wildfire smoke suggest haze could also reduce visibility even without full cloud cover.

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Sci-Tech will hold a free public observing session at 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 at Thompson Park in Watertown to watch the Perseids meteor shower.
Up to 50 meteors an hour are expected under a new Moon, with occasional bright fireballs improving this year's viewing conditions.
The Perseids come from debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle; the meteors streak at more than 35 miles per second and typically burn up about 60 miles high.
Telescopes and staff guides will be available for deep-sky viewing and sky tours, though the event will be canceled if skies are overcast.

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Yahoo! Voices49d ago

Sci-Tech to Host Free Perseids Meteor Shower Viewing at Thompson Park

WWTI - InformNNY.com49d ago

See the Perseids meteor shower at Thompson Park

With perfect moonless skies promised, what hidden deep-space wonders will Sci-Tech reveal through their telescopes while fireballs light up the night?

If overcast clouds threaten this rare meteor peak, will local stargazers miss the year's most spectacular cosmic light show entirely?

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2 total

Yahoo! Voices49d ago

Sci-Tech to Host Free Perseids Meteor Shower Viewing at Thompson Park

WWTI - InformNNY.com49d ago

See the Perseids meteor shower at Thompson Park

Sci-Tech Hosts Free Perseids Viewing on Aug. 12 as New Moon Boosts 50 Meteors an Hour

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