The Great American Eclipse is just 10 days away. Some are calling the celestial event the solar eclipse of the century. But a smaller, annual event, the Perseids Meteor Shower will be a warm-up for astronomy enthusiasts. The peak viewing period is this weekend.
?The Perseids are one of the biggest astronomical events of the year and they can light up the sky—that is if we see them this time. Hazy nights mean some people may not be able to.
Wildfire smoke is supposed to clear soon, but if the smoke wasn’t enough, moonlight or rain clouds could interfere.
But Mike Brady, director of the Moore Observatory at Columbia Basin College, is still going to be checking it out.
“Best time is after midnight to observe the meteors,” he said. “You should be able to see something as the smoke clears and it's kind of an exciting event.”
The Perseids are named for the constellation the meteors come from. The event is annual because the Earth comes in contact with the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle.