Community Corner
UPDATE: Meteor Shower To Dazzle Tonight; Clear Skies Predicted
Viewers should be able to observe around 80 "shooting stars" per hour during this year's Perseid Meteor Shower.
UPDATE, Saturday, Aug. 11, 10:45 a.m.: Despite a cloudy start to the day, skies over Johns Creek are predicted to be mostly clear by 1 a.m., making way for a good view of the meteor shower.
Friday, Aug. 10, 4 p.m.:
The Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year: It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, according to Astronomy.com. And it's on a Saturday night, which means people can stay up late and sleep in the next day
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You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, kick back and enjoy!
Perseid Meteor Trivia:
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- These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
- The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Sunday.
- The weather in Johns Creek, so far, is predicting clear skies, so you should have a good view.
- The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
- The shower began July 23, and will peak on Saturday night.
- Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
- Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
- If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.
Where to view:
- You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot.
Will you be watching the Perseid Meteor shower? If so, tell us why in comments and if you snap a photo, upload it to the Patch Pics and Clips page.