Perseid Meteor Shower at Frosty Drew Observatory

Description

The early morning of August 13th, 2016 will bring the Perseid meteor shower peak to the skies over Frosty Drew, blazing the starscape with up to 100 meteors per hour. The Perseids are considered by many to be the best meteor shower of the year. Perseids will start appearing more frequently as midnight approaches, though the bright 77% gibbous Moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors at first. After the moon sets at 1:18 a.m. the shower will really take off, with the peak occurring in the early morning hours of August 13th just before dawn.

Join Frosty Drew astronomers at the Observatory on August 12, 2016, weather permitting, to witness this spectacular event. We will open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 6:00 p.m. with our regular Stargazing Night event. In the Observatory, telescopes will showcase the night sky starting at sunset and continuing until 11:00 p.m. with views of Saturn, Mars, the Moon, binary stars, and more. After 11:00 we will all make our way outside to view the spectacular meteor shower. We may have portable telescopes available throughout the night with some great views of deep sky objects. The Sky Theatre will remain open all night with videos and showcases of celestial objects we have photographed at Frosty Drew Observatory.

Bring your friends and family. Break out your lawn chairs and blankets, *binoculars, and telescopes. Sit under the beautifully clear dark skies of Charlestown, Rhode Island and have a fabulous astronomy experience as shooting stars blaze the sky!