Perseids, Delta Aquarids: Summer Meteor Shower Peak Weekend For Viewing Arrives In Maryland

The vibrant Perseids meteor shower began last month as Earth passed through the path of the Comet Swift-Tuttle, but the shower known for its blazing bright meteors won’t peak until Saturday, Aug. 12. If your eyes feast on any meteors before then, they could be part of the Delta Aquarids meteor shower, which started in mid-July, peaked July 29 and 30, and continues through Sunday, Aug. 13.

If you look up in Maryland, Washington or Virginia at night this weekend, you might catch a glimpse of meteors. Friday night viewing is likely out, with the National Weather Service calling for a 70 percent chance of rain in the region, but the chances drop to 20 percent on Saturday night, so you might spot some of the streaking space debris. The chance of rain stays in the forecast and inches up to 30 percent on Sunday night, so good luck, star-gazers.

The Perseids put on a show so reliable and ooh-and-ahh worthy that fans plan around it with camping excursions and treks to dark sky preserves.

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NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke advises stargazers to allow about 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust to the dark and then settle in for a few hours during the Perseids meteor shower peak. Those who are patient will be rewarded, he said, noting that stargazers should see about two or three a minute — some faint trails of light, others generating fireballs. (SIGN UP: Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The Perseids meteor shower, the main act, is good for up to 150 meteors an hour, according to space.com. This year, a waning gibbous moon — one that appears less than half full but is more than half-lighted — could block out some of the fainter meteors, but the Perseids are so bright that you should still plan on catching the show. The meteors radiate from the constellation Perseus, but you’ll be able to see them no matter where you’re looking in the sky.

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The Perseids’ Aug. 12 peak comes when Earth passes through the densest, dustiest area of the wide path of Comet Swift-Tuttle — about 16 miles wide at its nucleus, according to space.com. The last time it passed near Earth was during its orbit of the sun in 1992, something that won’t happen again until 2126. The comet itself is a rare occurrence, but the annual meteor shower is a brilliant reminder of it.

The Delta Aquarids meteor shower also began in July, peaked July 28, and continues through Aug. 23. The show produces about 20 meteors an hour at its peak and is regarded as an average meteor shower most visible in the late-night and early-morning hours, according to seasky.org.

Meteors are pieces of comet debris that heat up as they enter the atmosphere then burn in a bright burst of light that streaks across the sky at up to 37 miles per second, according to space.com. Most of the Perseids meteors are so small — they’re about the size of a grain of sand — that they’ll never become “meteorites” that fall to the Earth.
— Story by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images News/Getty Images