Earth will be passing through the Perseids meteoroid cloud in the middle of next month – and this year it promises to be extra-spectacular due to good lunar timing.
If you tried to watch the meteor shower last year, the brief streaks of light caused by the meteors entering our atmosphere had to fight with a moon that was almost at its fullest. This year it’s going to be almost the exact opposite. The perseid meteor showers are expected to peak on August 13th. That night the moon will be at 10% of its full brightness- just a sliver of moonlight in a dark sky that has been lit up – in years past – by anywhere from 100 to 200 meteors an hour.
The meteors can look spectacularly bright and large but most of them are as big as a grain of sand – dust and debris kicked off from the Swift-Tuttle comet that last passed by earth in 1992. The 16-mile wide comet will return near earth in 2126 – I sure hope I’m not around for that.
We’re lucky here in the hi-desert as just about anywhere with a view of the sky will benefit from the extra dark nature of our rural area – but when stargazing the best views are away from unnatural lights.
Joshua Tree National Park is sure to be full up for camping, but as locals its easy to drive in for the evening to find a spot to soak in the spectral wonders that will be filling our skies. The Johnson Valley OHV area or any other BLM land is a great place to park and out out a couple of chairs, and let your eyes adjust to the dark so you can take in the shower without the aid of binoculars or a telescope – just sit back and enjoy the view.
The perseids will peak on August 13th, and as the date approaches we’ll remind you when to stay up late and catch the annual celestial show.
