By paNOW

Perseid meteor shower set to peak late this week

Aug 6, 2017 | 9:55 AM

Though much of Canada will not have an opportunity to observe the upcoming once-in-a-lifetime full solar eclipse set for Aug. 21, there is still one astronomical event to be seen.

The best summertime meteor shower, the Perseid, is set to peak Aug. 11, 12 and 13. Though already underway, as Earth moves further into a cloud of debris left from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed us in 1992, the number of meteors will quickly ramp up.

Leading up to next weekend, the number per hour will increase from around 80 to upwards of 100 in dark-sky locations. 

But unlike in 2016, it will be a tad more difficult to observe the shower. The moon is set to be three-quarters full these nights and its light will wash out some of the fainter fireballs.

The best time to catch the show is after midnight into the early morning hours. For the best viewing experience, one should head far from the light pollution of a city, lie down and watch the sky. The longer one looks at the dark sky, the more the eye will adapt to the lack of light and be more sensitive to catch the faint glow from the meteors. This means staying off electronic devices and being patient.

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The meteors will radiate from one central location in the northeast section of the sky, known as the constellation Perseus, from which they take their name.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr