The Perseid meteor shower is arguably the most popular meteor shower of the year according to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke. With nearly 80-200 meteors dashing across your sky per hour, it's well worth it to take a peek outside and catch the show for yourself.
Though the shower officially started on July 17 and runs through Aug. 27, the shower's peak is on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 from between 4 p.m. EDT to 4 a.m. the following morning. You can also get top-notch visibility on the nights of the 11th and the 13th.
The best part about the meteor shower this year?
This year's show peaks on the moonless night of Aug. 12 from 4 p.m. EDT until 4 a.m. the following morning. During this year's peak, stargazers can expect to see 60 to 70 meteors per hour. (Global News)
Here's everything you need to know about watching the Perseid meteor shower, including what you might need to prepare.
- Astronomy apps
- Best places to go to watch the shower/how to prepare
- Midnight snacks to bring for the ride
- How to capture the shower on your iPhone
- How to be safe in the middle of the night
Astronomy apps
One thing that you can do to get you prepared for the Perseid shower this year is to download an Astronomy app or two to keep you in the loop.
Our favorite apps include Star Walk 2, Sky Guide, and Night Sky. All of them are fantastic stargazing apps that use augmented reality to help you identify objects in the sky, whether it's day or night.
Sky Guide, for example, is tailored a bit more towards the Perseid meteor shower in particular. It can help you find the point where the most meteors will appear and even gives you the option to fast-forward to see what the sky will look like at different points throughout the evening!
Best places to go to watch the shower/how to prepare
This year the moon will be near new moon, it will be a crescent, which means it will set before the Perseid show gets underway after midnight. The moon is very favorable for the Perseids this year, and that'll make the Perseids probably the best shower of 2018 for people who want to go out and view it. (NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke)
The key thing to keep in mind when you're looking for a spot to catch the meteor shower is the more open space, the better, but with the moon being so bright this year, things might be a wee bit trickier. Though there were expected to be more meteors than usual this year, the excess light is bound to drown out some of the awe that the meteors produce.
When picking out your perfect spot, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- The darker the area, the better! Head out to the countryside and head away from bright lighting. It takes around 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, so show up a little bit earlier.
- Prepare to sit outside for a while and bring some blankets, some snacks, some good pals, a bottle of wine, and relax. Don't forget your bug spray and a couple of extra bottles of water!
- Bring your camera to capture the beautiful meteors (but don't waste your time looking through the viewfinder the entire evening!)
If you wanted, you could even turn your meteor shower-viewing experience into a camping trip! Just set up a tent in an open area (preferably on a hill or in an open field), grab your binoculars, and start viewing!
Midnight snacks to bring for the ride
If you're someone who wants to make a big show out of the meteor shower, then why not indulge and bring along some serious midnight snackage?!
You can pack a couple of bags of chips and some chocolate bars if you want to keep is cool and casual, or if you wanted to turn your Perseid shower experience into a high-class affair, then why not whip up a Charcuterie Board to eat on the hill as you and your sweetheart watch meteors zip by overheard?
If you wanted to get even more fancy, then you could even take it an extra step further and throw a last-minute Perseids Meteor Shower Viewing Party with these helpful tips and tricks!
How to capture the shower on your iPhone
Seeing the meteor shower with your eyes and binoculars is cool and everything, but what about capturing the big event on your iPhone?! Shooting the Perseid shower on your iPhone isn't as hard as you think it is; you just need the right tools.
Using an external lens is a great way to capture the full spectrum of the meteor shower because it can (like a DSLR lens) change the size and shape of the subject you're capturing and its prominence in your photo. Using a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens will give you the biggest area of space to play and shoot with, so you'll be capturing the most meteors with an external lens like this.
You can also grab an accessory like the GripTight ONE GP Stand and set up your iPhone to capture a time-lapse of the meteors over an extended period of time (be sure to have an external battery pack so you don't run out of juice in the middle of filming).
The best advice we can give? Don't spend the whole shower trying to capture a decent picture — put down your iPhone at some point, throw your head back, and enjoy the show above you.
How to be safe in the middle of the night
Depending on where you live, watching the Perseid meteor shower can potentially be a bit dangerous, so the most important thing to remember is safety first!
If you're walking alone in the middle of the night, it might be best to download an app like Circle of 6, which lets you choose six of your friends and family members you can notify if something is wrong. You can connect the app to your phone to track your current location and send a message to all six in your circle to either call, text, or come to get you without you needing to do anything more than open the app and tap a button.
When you're looking for the perfect spot, be sure to scout out the area during the day so you're more familiar with the surroundings/how everything looks: if you blindly pick a spot in the middle of the night and go out there without any info, then you might run into a tricky, unsafe situation.
Be sure to use a flashlight when you're going out to your Perseid viewing spot (or use the flashlight on your iPhone!) and don't forget to bring a backup battery if you know you'll be recording video and snapping a lot of photos — the last thing you want is to be left alone in the dark with a dead battery.
How do you enjoy your meteor showers?
Is there a special spot you and your family go to for watching a meteor shower? Are you someone who's discovered (or designed!) the perfect app for tracking and capturing the Perseid shower?
Let us know your tips and tricks for watching the Perseid meteor shower in style in the comments below (and we'll see you at the next shower!)
