If you’re an astronomy fan, you might consider sacrificing some sleep and staying up late Thursday night.
The Perseids began on July 14th and will continue until September 1st, but the meteor shower peaks on August 11th, leading up to the morning of August 12th.
The shower occurs when Earth moves through the thickest piece of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Gary Boyle, a.k.a. the backyard astronomer based in Ottawa, Ontario, said Monday that a full Sturgeon moon will cast a strong glow across the sky that could reduce the visibility of smaller meteors.
Still, he said conditions remain favorable for a star-studded backyard party.
“If you can escape the city lights to get a beautiful horizon to the north, south, east and west, they can be very spectacular — in all four directions,” Boyle said in a telephone interview. “People will definitely see something tonight and some of the images are simply memorable. You will never forget.”
Boyle said that throughout the night, people can also catch a glimpse of several planets in Earth’s solar system.
“The planet Saturn, a brilliant object in the southeastern sky, rises just around sunset,” he said.
“Two hours later we’ll see an even brighter Jupiter and two hours after that an even brighter Mars, all lined up in a beautiful row in the sky, so you see three beautiful planets of our own solar system. “
The meteor shower will be visible in the sky across Canada.
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