THUNDER BAY - Stargazers are in for a special show for the next two nights, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on Aug. 11 and 12 and while the forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies in Thunder Bay, The David Thompson Observatory at Fort William Historical Park is making sure you won’t miss the show.
The observatory will be hosting a special presentation on meteors and asteroids Friday evening. David Shepherd, environmental ecological outdoor specialist with Fort William Historical Park explained that the observatory is a great place to take in this unique astronomical event.
“We will have our astronomers on hand to answer questions,” Shepherd said. “If there is a break in the clouds, we will be out viewing the 100 to 200 meteors an hour. We are also able to connect and look at telescopes from around the world.”
The Perseid Meteor shower occurs every August as the Earth passes through the debris field left behind by the Swift-Turtle Comet. This year’s shower is predicted to be one of the best ones in over seven years, with up to three meteors streaking across the sky per minute.
The meteors will appear to be coming from the Northeast part of the sky, in the direction of the Perseid constellation. Meteors will start to appear as soon as the sun goes down, but the best viewing will be much later in the night, between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m.
“The neat thing about the Perseid meteor shower is you can see it from anywhere in our region,” Shepherd said. “Just have a lot of patience and just relax and enjoy the night sky. Then you will start to see them. Once you see one or two, then you’ll start to see more because your eyes will get trained pretty quickly on how to pick them up.”
If it is cloudy and you don’t get to see a falling star, you will be able to see one here on Earth, with meteorite samples on display during the event.
The event at the David Thompson Observatory runs from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets are available at the Fort William Historical Park visitor centre.
