Community Corner

Perseid Meteor Shower to Dazzle

Santa Cruz viewers should be able to observe around 80 "shooting stars" per hour during this year's Perseid Meteor Shower on Aug. 11, 12.

The Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year, according to Astronomy.com. It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means Watsonville residents can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

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  • These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
  • The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
  • The weather in the Bay Area, so far, is predicted to be mostly clear, so you should have a good view.
  • The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
  • The shower began on July 23 and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
  • Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
  • Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
  • If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where to view:

  • You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot. 
  • The Bay Area has a lot of city lights, so the further you get from town, the better your view will be. 

If you snap a great photo of the shower, share your pictures with us!

Find out what's happening in Watsonvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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