Prime Viewing Time for Perseids Approach
Aug. 11–It may not be considered the most momentous celestial occurrence, but for novice and expert stargazers alike it’s still considered a spectacle.
It’s the annual Perseid meteor shower.
Every year around this time, Earth’s orbit intersects with the trails of the Swift-Tuttle comet. As Earth passes through the comet’s wake, lingering pebble-sized bits of galactic dust and ice incinerate in the atmosphere, streaking light across the night sky.
In laymen’s terms, it creates a lot of shooting stars.
Ben Burress, an astronomer for Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, likens the phenomenon to a more Earth-bound, urban experience.
“I like to tell people it’s like insects on your car’s windshield, the Earth’s atmosphere being the windshield,” he explained.
The showers span a few weeks, with activity peaking for a couple of days. This year it’s Friday and Saturday, when, at the shower’s height, gazers can expect to spot 50 to 60 meteors per hour.
“For an annual meteor shower, it’s probably one of the best for being reliable and regular, and some have been known to have amazing meteor storms,” Burress said.
The earliest recorded observations of the showers date back to 36 A.D. by the Chinese. But its name is taken from the constellation Perseus, the nearest sky marker.
Chabot will have its regular telescope viewing open until 10 p.m. Friday.
But Burress says the optimum time to catch the shower is between midnight and 3 a.m. early Aug. 13, after the moon has set.
For the past nine years, the John Muir Historic Site has hosted Perseid viewing parties that have drawn 60 or more people to the top of Mount Wanda, the large hill behind Muir’s home.
“As long as you can find not a lot of light pollution or trees or building blocking your vision, you should be able to see quite a lot of them,” said Tad Shay, lead ranger at the site.
While some people set up telescopes or bring binoculars for viewing, many say the best instrument is simply the naked eye.
“You blink and you hear, ‘ooohhh,’ and you’ve missed one,” said Martinez resident Igor Skaredoff, a regular attendee at the Mount Wanda viewings. “Other times some meteors go from horizon to horizon.”
METEOR VIEWING: Here are a few sites where you can cast your gaze toward the sky. Or, if you’d rather be on your own, experts recommend viewing in an area away from bright lights, looking toward the northeast horizon.
For all events, dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes. Bring a blanket or something to sit on, water and a flashlight.
–Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, 8 p.m. Saturday. Meet at the lower summit parking lot in Mount Diablo State Park. The lot closes at sunset. Information at www.mdas.net, 925-695-3134.
–Perseid Meteor Shower Walk, 8-11 p.m. Friday. Join John Muir Historic site rangers on a one-mile hike to the top of Mount Wanda to watch the meteor shower. Free. Meet at Mount Wanda entrance, at the Park and Ride lot, Alhambra Avenue and Franklin Canyon Road. 925-228-8860.
–Star Party, 8-11 p.m. Friday. East Bay Parks naturalist and East Bay Astronomical Society members, who will bring telescopes, will share their astronomy knowledge. There will be activities for the entire family while the sky darkens. Free. Bort Meadows at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in the Oakland hills, off Redwood Road, large dirt parking lot, 4.3 miles from Redwood and Skyline intersection. 510-521-6887.
–East Bay Regional Parks, until 3 a.m. Saturday. Meteor viewing at Briones Regional Park, Alhambra Staging Area in Martinez and at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. 925-228-8860.
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