Vancouverites will have the opportunity to see one of the best meteor showers of the year tonight.
On the night of Aug. 12 and 13, the Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak. While it happens every year, this year it is coinciding with a new moon, allowing for a clearer view of the sky.
According to the Canadian Space Agency, the Perseids can be seen from the northern hemisphere each year from late July to mid-August.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs because of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle orbiting the Sun and leaving behind a path of dust and gravel. As the Earth crosses this path and passes through the debris, the debris becomes meteors as it dissolves in Earth’s atmosphere, causing flashes of light.
“This year, an increasing number of shooting stars should be visible every night, until the light show peaks on the night of Aug. 12 and 13,” reads a post from the Canadian Space Agency.
It adds that during the peak, up to 50 to 80 meteors per hour will “streak across the sky.”
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To see the best show, the Canadian Space Agency informs people that it involves staying up late, as the best visibility is in the darkest hours after midnight.
It also added that it is best to leave behind city lights and find a spot without light pollution, since it makes it harder to observe the meteors.
Daily Hive recently connected with Dr. Rosanna Tilbrook, an astronomer with the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, for some tips on how Vancouverites can best catch the show.
Like the Canadian Space Agency, she advised that residents leave the city lights for the best view. But she said you don’t have to travel too far to find a good location.
“For best viewing, find somewhere away from bright lights and with a wide view of the sky. Beaches like Spanish Banks or Wreck Beach are good spots, and city parks can be good options too, as long as there aren’t any streetlights around,” she said.
The biggest impediment to stargazing in the city is the streetlights, she said.
However, Dr. Tilbrook added that Vancouver’s ambient light pollution “will generally limit your ability to see faint meteors.”
If someone wants to leave the city, she recommended Porteau Cove on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
And if you happen to be travelling in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, or St. John’s, you will also have the opportunity to witness a solar eclipse tonight.
With files from Amir Ali and Natalia Buia