RSS FEED
The weather should be clear most of this weekend. The sky? Not so much.
Late Saturday night into early Sunday morning (pre-dawn, we’re talking) is expected to be an excellent time to catch sight of the annual Perseid meteor shower in the Baltimore area. Best to find an open field or park, if possible — and legal.
The International Meteor Organization says the zenithal hourly rate is about 90 to 100 meteors, but we’ll probably only see a few, according to reporting in the Washington Post. The good news: a waning crescent moon this year shouldn’t create too much light for concern.
The natural fireworks, debris and cosmic dust from an old comet, appears to radiate from the Perseus constellation – thus the name Perseid. More casually, we call them shooting or falling stars.
Anyone got a wish?
The Howard County Conservancy has scheduled a “Night Sky/Dark Sky: The Perseid Meteor Showers” event from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday with astronomy professor Alex Storrs of Towson University and Dr. Joel Goodman, founder Celestial Searchers, a youth astronomy group. Located on Old Frederick Road, the event is free to the public.
