I LOVE a good, natural spectacle. Get your wishes ready because we’re in for a treat! The next few nights will be the best for seeing the Perseid meteor shower.
Named after the constellation, Perseus, from which they originate. They look like flashes of light with tails. In Greek mythology, Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae, beheaded Medusa and saved the princess, Andromeda.
An excellent film depiction of this is the original Clash Of The Titans with Harry Hamlin. There are also graphic novel and classical literature versions as well. Both the original and the remake are playing on Netflix now. I’ve seen both but prefer the original because it’s more fun and plays to the wonderment that fantasy brings.
The constellatons Cassiopeia and Andromeda will also be visible. So get your cameras and telescopes ready! Everything that I’ve read on this event promises it to be amazing. If you can’t catch it tonight, August 12th and 13th are also great viewing days. Peak viewing times on all three nights are between midnight and dawn!!
I found this site: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/perseid.html. It’s perfect for those of us who don’t have a telescope. Certain planets like Mars and Juiter are also visible to the naked eye the following nights. City lights decrease the visibility of stars, so optimal viewing will be in the less populated areas.
Vancouver is not what I’d call a metropolis. Especially compared to Chicago or New York. When one of my brother’s lived on the outer-outskirts of Longview, the sky there was so dark that you could see billions of stars. Not a view I would be treated to on the clearest of nights in Vancouver.
I took the above picture with my cell/mobile phone. It would have been better if I had a telescope to assist the camera. On the left is the Moon and on the right is Mars. It’s faint but you can see a red circle. If your sky is clear, you should be able to see the seven sisters also called The Pleiades twinkling in the distance.
bluemoone 