Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Thursday

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Thusday

Have you seen a meteor streak across the sky during the last few weeks?  If so, it may be related to the annual Perseid shower that is currently taking place.  This celestial event will peak early Thursday morning (Aug. 13th) prior to sunrise.  We have 2 factors that will work in our favor this year:

#1: generally clear skies at night

#2: essentially no moonlight since the moon is going into its “new moon” phase

Your best bet for viewing the shower is to simply lay down in a dark spot after 10 p.m. or so and look to the northeast.  NASA has more details.

Public Viewing:

The MSU Physics and Astronomy Department and the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge would like to invite everyone out to the Refuge on August 13^th, 9-11pm for a Perseid Meteor viewing Event! The viewing location will be at the Morgan Hill overlook and Prairie Trail to the south of the Visitor’s Center. Bring a lawn chair, some bug spray and some patience and just sit back and watch the show. MSU will bring a couple portable telescopes. No alcohol or campfires are allowed. See you there!