If you’ve been waiting to make a wish, this weekend may be your best opportunity to spot a shooting star.
The Perseids – a meteor shower visible from late-July to mid-August each year – are peaking this weekend and will be at their height on Sunday night into Monday morning. Although the shower can be seen around the globe, it is expected to be the most striking in the northern hemisphere – prompting delight among US stargazers as national parks such as California’s Joshua Tree brace for a surge in visitors.
The Perseids pass through our atmosphere every year when the Earth orbits through debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. When that debris enters the Earth’s atmosphere – sometimes at speeds of up to 160,000mph – and starts to burn up, it appears as a shooting star. During the peak of the Perseids shower, viewers can expect to see up to 100 such shooting stars every hour.
To get the most out of this yearly wonder, Douglas C Leonard, a professor of astronomy at San Diego State University, recommends finding a dark corner of your neighborhood, or heading out of the city. “You want to get as far away from any sources of light as possible, and then find a location with as unobstructed a view of the entire sky as you can.”
“State and national parks are typically great for this, and some will even have special programs designed specifically for Perseids viewing,” Leonard says. But rest assured, the professor adds, “the Perseids are famous for producing some very bright meteors that are visible from even non-ideal locations, so wherever you are you’ll probably be rewarded for looking up for a bit near the shower’s peak.”
If you’re able to make a special weekend out of the shower, the national parks are famous for having some of the darkest skies in the country. Some of the best stargazing can be found in Fort Union national monument in New Mexico, Great Sand Dunes national park in Colorado, Joshua Tree in California and Great Basin national park in Nevada.
Some national parks have been swarmed with visitors for past astronomical events, such as the total solar eclipse earlier this year. Huge crowds in Joshua Tree for last year’s Perseids prompted park officials to ask visitors to stay home the second night of the event.
This year, Joshua Tree officials warned visitors and nearby towns to brace for crowds over the weekend. “Local communities and businesses should expect increased traffic to the park,” the park said in a news release. “Due to the park’s proximity to major cities, traffic can be heavy and can cause delays of up to several hours while entering the park.”
If you can only make it outside for a couple minutes this weekend though, have no fear – you’re still likely to spot a few shooting stars. Leonard just recommends taking a few simple steps to prepare: “You want your eyes to be nicely dark-adapted, which can only happen if you’re away from local lighting,” like street lights and your phone.
The moon is expected to set around midnight local time on Sunday when the Perseids are peaking, so the best time to spot shooting stars will be after 1am. If you want to maximize the number of shooting stars you’ll be able to see, Leonard suggests waiting until closer to 3 or 4am. And then, just look up – no special equipment required.
“This is one astronomical event that is best viewed just with your eyes!” Leonard says. “What you want simply is the best, unobstructed view of the dark night sky. Then lie back and just keep looking up.”
