Where and When to Watch the Perseids Meteor Shower

With only partly cloudy skies forecast over Centreville, locals should be able to get a good view of the Perseids meteor shower, which is set to peak this weekend.

The forecast for Saturday and Sunday nights is for partly cloudy skies with overnight low temperatures around 70 degrees. Late Saturday night will likely be a peak time to watch, with more shooting stars visible after midnight, according to The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang. 

The Perseids are a meteor shower visible when the Earth passes through the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet. The meteor shower has been visible for about 2,000 years. The Swift-Tuttle comet orbits once every 133 years, according to NASA.

One of the best places to see the Perseids meteor shower in the area might be at , where a naturalist will be available starting at 7:30 p.m. to answer questions. Registration is required. Children under 5 cannot attend. 

Viewing Tips

At its peak, the Perseids meteor shower could display up to 40 meteors per hour in the pre-dawn hours Sunday. The American Meteor Society recommends viewing this meteor shower between midnight and dawn Saturday and Sunday.

Space.com has these tips and more:

Get as far away from city and other artificial lights if possible. Meteor showers are best viewed in really dark skies. Try to keep the moon out of your field of vision, too.

Be patient. It may take your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the light and see the meteors.

You don’t need binoculars or a telescope – that will only limit the amount of sky you can see.

Where do you recommend watching the meteor shower? Tell us in the comments!