Saturday, August 12, Mount Constitution
— by Lin McNulty —
This year’s annual Perseid meteor shower is set to peak on the night of Saturday, August 12.
In anticipation of that event, along with hoping for clear skies, Friends of Moran State Park have announced that the summit of Mt. Constitution will be open on the night of Saturday, August 12 for visitors to view the Perseid meteor shower.
The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity between August 9 and 14, depending on the particular location of the stream. During the peak, the typical rate of meteors reaches 60-80 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky; however, because of the shower’s radiant in the constellation of Perseus, the Perseids are primarily visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
This year, the Perseids will be a little more difficult to see due to the presence of the moon, which will be three-quarters full and will rise shortly before the shower hits its peak around midnight local time. And our smoky skies may occlude even the presence of that moon.
