Zoom.
Flash.
Click.
This is the first picture I’ve seen this year of a 2012 Perseid Meteor streaking across northwest skies. Rocky Rabell of Keller, Washington, snapped it and posted it on a real-time meteor image gallery that I love to check out.
Perseid Meteors Peak Saturday Night August 11th and Sunday August 12, 2012
This time around, most of Oregon and Washington will have clear skies on Saturday night and early Sunday morning to see the Perseid Meteor shower. Sounds great, right? But how do you see the Perseids–or what’s the best way to see the Perseids? And when and where should you look?
Here’s the very basic – but to the point – graphic I’m using on KOIN Local 6 during my weather segments on how to view this year’s Perseids!
Update: NASA estimates this year’s peak could be really awesome, with up to 100 meteors per hour away from city lights. We’ll see!
Although the Perseids will appear to be coming from the northern sky, my favorite thing to do is just lie down on a blanket and look up. Very late Saturday night and very early Sunday (before dawn) is likely this year’s peak. This is when earth is crossing the comet’s debris trail–we’re basically getting hit by bits and specs of this thing right in the ol’ windshield!
Who knows, maybe you’ll see a rare type of meteor: a fireball! I’ll always remember the night I saw one of these out my window in Beaverton. I’d just gotten back from watching the meteors and was about to go to bed. I looked out the window, hoping to catch one more. Bam! There it was–a bright white ball of fire lasting just a quick second or two.
Happy meteor watching and let me know how it goes and what you see, if you don’t mind!
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