If the sky is clear on Friday night it will be lit up with hundreds of falling meteors.
The annual Perseid Meteor Shower will rain down this weekend, the Prince George Astronomical Observatory will be opening its doors for the public to come and enjoy the spectacle.
“Usually you can see over 120 meteors per hour if the sky is clear and there is no moon,” Malhar Kendurkar, the President of the Observatory, told My PG Now.
They will begin welcoming guests at 9:00 Friday night (August 11) with a presentation on the comet Swift–Tuttle, which the comets are caused by debris from.
“In past years we have had hundreds of people,” Kendurkar said. “A lot of times they stay all night long. Some people take photos, some people just look at the night sky.”
He said the shower is always “quite a spectacle,” often fireballs, bow lines, and multiple colours of meteor are bright and visible.
This open house is a special event, but Kendurkar said regular Friday open houses will start on September 1 as the days get shorter.
These open houses feature presentations, viewing, crafts for kids, and Kendurkar is hoping for a live choir in October.
While the Observatory is open on Friday, Kendurkar said the shower is supposed to hit its peak on Saturday and Sunday night.
This, of course, is all in hopes of clear skies. Prince George’s current Friday evening forecast calls for clouds.
For more information on the Observatory, click here.
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