Tonight is the Height of the Perseid Meteor Shower
With a strong west wind, Wenatchee, WA will be clear and breezy tonight. Since age 21, I have watched the Perseid Meteor Shower each August. The best viewing time is two hours before sunrise.
I usually watch from midnight to 1:30 a.m, and call it a night.
On a paved road, I drive 30 minutes to the summit of Badger Mountain, East Wenatchee. Big sky and no city light. At the summit, there is a convenient, gravel driveway and parking lot with two wheat silos.
In years past, I laid on wheat stubble, worried a cow would step on me.
Blowing up a backpacking mattress, I crawl into a sleeping bag with my head propped on a pillow. Facing northeast, you will see 100 "shooting stars" per hour.
In 2015, a huge white meteor blasted directly toward us with the tail hidden behind it. I have never seen anything so BRIGHT! A second later, Dan jerked and said, "Oh my gosh! A piece of it hit me." That got a laugh from me.
Coyotes howled back-and-forth from the north and east.
Deer walked by so closely, we could feel the vibrations from their hooves on the ground, before seeing their moving shapes in the dark.
In August 1993, my sister and I watched the Perseid Meteor Shower in a foggy field in Georgia. It was the greatest Perseid Meteor Shower in 150 years and the closest to the Earth. Lynne had never seen it before.
Meteors blazed across the sky with green tails that stretched from horizon to horizon, fading after the meteor had vanished. The Milky Way glowed. The sky blazed with shooting stars with red, green, yellow, blue and white tails.
I fell asleep with shooting stars going back-and-forth inside my eyelids.
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Getting away from city lights is critical. The difference in an area with no lights like the desert is overwhelming.
michaelrgregory
Level 3
Aug 12, 2018
1
Tonight is the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. An article I read got it wrong.
Last night I watched the Perseid Meteor Shower since it was the only clear night in weeks. It was amazing:
While driving up Badger Mountain, a bright meteor with a white, curving tail filled my windshield near the horizon. Wow!
Just before I left, a meteor streaked across one third of the sky, with its long, white tail staying bright. Awe-inspiring. That vision is burned in my brain.
After 45 minutes, clouds obscured the stars. A cold wind was howling at the summit. I felt cold in my down sleeping bag, even in a down sweater and jeans. Headed home.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
Aug 12, 2018
1
I hiked up to 8300 feet to Velma lake I forget what year that one was, to view the perseid meteor shower. We camped there all night. Man I had a rough time staying awake, I was wore out. It was four and a half miles from 6000 to 8300 feet damn near straight up. It was beautiful though.
Brown8888
Level 3
Aug 12, 2018
1
I love the Perseids. I was introduced to them back when I was a kid, and I watch them every year. I watched them last night, because it is cloudy here tonight. They are magnificent. My favorite meteor shower. Enjoy them tonight.
Wisewoman3
Level 7
Aug 11, 2018
2
Plans made and car packed, I'm ready!!!
MacTavish
Level 7
Aug 11, 2018
2
Great!
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