Perseid meteor shower to reach peak on North Coast this week

The Perseid meteor shower, whose annual appearance already robs devoted stargazers of sleep every summer, is expected to make for an especially spectacular show this week, astronomers say, thanks to a waning moon and the darkened sky it will leave behind.

The meteor shower will reach its peak over the next several nights, with maximum impact expected late Wednesday and early Thursday for those willing to stay up late - or get up extra early.

At its peak, an astute observer might see 100 meteors an hour, NASA says.

But because the crescent moon reaches its low ebb this week and will be setting early in the evening, before the sun, the first hours after sunset should be dark enough to allow glimpses of shooting stars even before it gets especially late, said Ed Megill, programming director for the Santa Rosa Junior College Planetarium.

And the viewing should be good through the week, even during the weekend, Megill said.

“It’s the best shot we’ve had at the Perseids for quite a while,” he said.

Folks hoping to get a look at one of the marvels of the universe will still need to seek out high places, away from ambient city lights, to ensure a chance to see anything. Megill recommends a quick drive to Lake Sonoma or up Geysers Road to one of numerous pullouts.

But reports of an already active shower and the cooperative moon will make viewing easier this year, he said.

Viewers need to take 20 minutes or more to let their eyes adjust to the dark, astronomers say.

The Robert Ferguson Observatory at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park will host a special viewing party Wednesday night, beginning at 9 p.m. and running all night for hard-core skywatchers.

“We count meteors from the first one we see until the sun starts to come out,” said Len Nelson, of Petaluma, an observatory docent.

Nelson said anyone who wants to watch the shower would be advised to dress very warmly and have on hand a reclining chair or sleeping bag that allows for looking directly overhead.

Weekend meteor shower viewings have often been so crowded “you couldn’t walk,” Nelson said. “You couldn’t drive your car anymore, because people were laying all over the driveways, in the roads.”

A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through an orbiting field of comet debris - in this case, a trail of particles left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which reappears every 130 years.

Though the dust particles are tiny, the speed and friction with which they hit the Earth’s atmosphere creates the streaks of light we know as shooting stars. The peak of the shower occurs when the Earth is passing through the densest part of the trail - Aug. 12 and 13 this year, according to NASA.

Active from July 17 to Aug. 24, the Perseids are so named because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus.

The constellation should begin rising in the northeastern sky shortly after sunset each of the next few nights and reach its overhead peak at 11:30 p.m.

Even before the constellation begins to rise, some shooting stars should be visible, increasing with frequency as the constellation rises and then begins to set in the southeastern sky, Megill said.

Those who go to bed early and get up early in the morning might consider trying to view the shower around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, when the constellation will still be high overhead but the glow of the rising sun won’t yet interfere.

“You’re going to see quite a few of them,” Megill said. “You’ve got a lot better chance of seeing a good display than we’ve had in the past several years.”

Nelson said it’s important to remember there are no guarantees with Mother Nature, and he has sometimes been disappointed in the past. But all signs, he said, pointed to a good display this year.

Anyone coming to the Ferguson with plans to leave before the morning should park away from the viewing area so their headlights don’t interfere, Nelson said.

“Come prepared for cold. Bring coffee. Bring hot cocoa. Bring sandwiches - things to keep warm and awake,” he said.

The observatory is located inside the park at 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood. More information about the event is available at RFO.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.