For specks of space dust, meteors put on quite a show.
And the main act comes later this month with the so-called Perseid shower. "It is generally known as the best meteor shower of the year," said Pam Menchaca, a senior naturalist with the Wood County Park District. Menchaca will be leading "Streaming Stars," a meteor gazing program Aug. 12 at 10 p.m. on the astronomy deck of the Beaver Creek Preserve, 23028 Long Judson Road, Grand Rapids.
The meteor shower takes its name from the Perseus Constellation. The meteors "appear to us that they're radiating from the Perseus Constellation," the naturalist said. That's an optical illusion.
Meteor showers are created when the dust that comes off the tail of a comet enters Earth's atmosphere and is set aglow as it burns up.
The Perseids are created as the Earth intersects the dust trail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. Sharp-eyed observers may spot as many as 60 meteors in an hour.
Though, Menchaca expects plenty to see from 10 p.m. to midnight, the best time is the hours right before dawn. Once the district has sponsored a campout, so people could stay overnight to watch the showers. "That was the best," Menchaca said.
Finding a place to see the meteors, or the stars for that matter, is getting more difficult, she said, as suburban growth, and the attendant light pollution, extends further into the country. "It's getting harder."
And the main act comes later this month with the so-called Perseid shower. "It is generally known as the best meteor shower of the year," said Pam Menchaca, a senior naturalist with the Wood County Park District. Menchaca will be leading "Streaming Stars," a meteor gazing program Aug. 12 at 10 p.m. on the astronomy deck of the Beaver Creek Preserve, 23028 Long Judson Road, Grand Rapids.
The meteor shower takes its name from the Perseus Constellation. The meteors "appear to us that they're radiating from the Perseus Constellation," the naturalist said. That's an optical illusion.
Meteor showers are created when the dust that comes off the tail of a comet enters Earth's atmosphere and is set aglow as it burns up.
The Perseids are created as the Earth intersects the dust trail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. Sharp-eyed observers may spot as many as 60 meteors in an hour.
Though, Menchaca expects plenty to see from 10 p.m. to midnight, the best time is the hours right before dawn. Once the district has sponsored a campout, so people could stay overnight to watch the showers. "That was the best," Menchaca said.
Finding a place to see the meteors, or the stars for that matter, is getting more difficult, she said, as suburban growth, and the attendant light pollution, extends further into the country. "It's getting harder."