Considered one of the best showers of the year, the Perseid meteor shower is set to dazzle Metro Vancouver skies next week.
The shower will peak between Monday and Tuesday, offering stargazers the chance to view multiple meteors hourly. Sadly, the light from this year’s full moon will obscure some of the shower’s visibility, which means that spectators will only be able to view about 10 to 15 meteors each hour.
According to Space.com, years without moonlight produce much higher rates. In fact, they note that in 2016 stargazers were able to view between 150 and 200 meteors an hour. With this in mind, the Perseids are bright meteors, and will still deliver an awe-inspiring celestial spectacle.
Locals will also be able to catch some of the astral magic in the days leading up to the shower’s peak, as well as in the days right after.
Stargazers should opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the clarity of heavenly bodies. While this works best in more remote places, anywhere that has a higher elevation will also provide more ideal viewing conditions.
