If clouds part, Perseid meteor shower to dazzle Seattle area
Aug 9, 2013, 2:38 PM | Updated: 3:30 pm
The Perseid meteor shower will peak over the weekend, but the forecast is sketchy at best for us to see it in the Seattle area. (AP image)
(AP image)
It figures that after a virtually cloud-free summer, cloudy skies are expected this weekend just in time for the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. But if we get a few breaks, it can be a spectacular sight.
“If you watched for an hour in a typical Perseid shower, you’d probably see about 70 meteors, maybe a meteor per minute,” says University of Washington astronomy professor Julie Lutz. “Some would be brighter than others. And the darker the place you can get to, the more meteors you’re going to see.”
The annual event happens predictably between late July and early August as the Earth’s orbit passes through the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle, peaking between August 10th and 12th. What we see is the debris coming into Earth’s atmosphere.
It’s called the Perseid shower because the meteors come from the constellation of Perseus rising in the northeast in the late evening.
“The best time to view it is around or after midnight, although right after it gets dark, you might see a few meteors. Just look to the northeast sky and you’ll see it,” says professor Lutz.
There’s just one problem for us in the Seattle area. The forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies throughout the weekend, the peak viewing period. KING 5 meteorologist Jeff Renner isn’t optimistic we’ll have much of an opportunity to see it.
“I won’t say there’s no chance. There could be some breaks, but it’s not looking good,” says Renner.
Still, even though the peak is over the weekend, the shower will remain visible for several nights after that. And the good thing about it is no telescopes are required.
“Even if you can’t get out in the country, it’s worth looking because you’ll see the brighter meteors no matter where you are,” says Lutz.
If the clouds don’t part in time, the Internet has plenty of great opportunities to view the Perseid meteor shower. On the night of Aug. 10-11, the night before the peak, NASA will conduct a live web chat to watch the meteor shower from 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. EDT
