Victoria's weather forecast puts fireball-filled stargazing in flux
The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak this weekend, but if you’re hoping for a clear sky and perfect weather to view the hundreds of shooting stars from Victoria, you might be out of luck because of the forecast.
What will the weather be like this weekend in Victoria?
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, it’s expected to be a mix of sun and clouds throughout the next few days, including this weekend, and that will carry over each night to potentially block some of the views. While it’s not perfect conditions, it’s far from doom and gloom, with your best bet to see the celestial sites being Sunday or Monday, which is predicted to be its peak.
ECCC
Plus, it will be quite warm overnight which will make the moments you can’t see due to clouds fairly comfortable.
But you could see it anytime if you’re lucky. According to Space.com, the Perseid meteor shower is annually active between mid-July and August.
What time will the Perseid meteor shower peak?
What might actually hurt your plans more is that you will have to stay up a lot later if you are expecting to outshine your friends with your photos the next day.
According to NASA, “The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though at times it is possible to view meteors from this shower as early as 10 pm.”
That’s when you might be able to see the famous fireballs that the Perseids are known for. They are basically the super version of a shooting star as they lose a lot longer and are brighter than the average meteor streak, NASA said. At their peak, you could see 100 fireballs an hour.
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
The name Perseid reflects the constellation that determines which shower you are viewing on a given night. “The constellation is not the source of the meteors,” NASA explained, but simply the name.
The meteors themselves are leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids.
“When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year, Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colourful streaks in the sky,” NASA explained.
Where to watch
If you’re hoping to catch the light show, you’ll want to be far away from light pollution. That means city-dwellers might want to head out of town to a darker, more remote viewing area.
Cattle Point DARK SKY Urban Star Park, Bob Wright Centre Observatory (UVic), Metchosin Cricket Field, and St. Stephen’s Anglican Church are all popular with stargazers. There’s even a free star party you can attend!
EarthSky also says it is best if you plan for a longer viewing experience to allow your eyes to adapt to the dark. This means trying to watch for more than 20 minutes to properly see the meteors.
With files from Simran Singh