Perseid meteor shower peaking in skies over Kamloops, Okanagan
The Perseid meteor shower has been active since mid-July and reaches its peak at the perfect time for viewing this weekend.
The shower peaks in the darkness between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday, August 13. The waning moon will be a crescent, unable to dim the light show as was the case last year when the Perseids reached peak levels during a full moon.
Sky watchers can expect to see up to 100 meteors per hour during the peak and is considered to be the best meteor shower of the year, according to NASA.
The meteors are from Earth passing through bits of ice and rock left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle and the peak happens when Earth is going through the most dense area. As they enter Earth's atmosphere, bits of comet debris heat up and burn up, streaking across the sky at 59 kilometres per second, according to NASA.
The annual meteor shower is named Perseid because from Earth’s perspective it looks like the meteors are coming from the constellation Perseus in the Northern Hemisphere.
Environment Canada is predicting clear overnight skies for the weekend in Kamloops and the throughout the Okanagan Valley, but with several wildfires burning in the province it is unclear if smoke will impact viewing.
Sky watchers can go here to see if their city is under a smoky skies bulletin before viewing.
READ MORE: Summer gets even sweeter during the Penticton Peach Festival
The meteor shower will come to an end toward the end of the month.
If you get great photos of the Perseids and want to share, please send them to news@infonews.ca .
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
