Check Out The Perseid Meteor Shower's Peak August 11th & 12th Right Here on Long Island!

 What could very well turn out to be the best night for stargazers all year long is almost upon us. Astronomers are predicting a big outburst from the Perseid meteors as they peak between the evening of August 11th and morning of August 12th, potentially lighting the sky with as many as 200 meteors per hour. 

The actual number of visible meteors will vary depending on when they peak–if the outburst occurs earlier Thursday night there won't be quite as much to see, but if it occurs later Friday morning in the pre-dawn hours it could be quite the stunning display.

For Your Guide to Watching The Perseid Meteor Shower on Long Island, click here!

Photo by Kim MyoungSung, via WikiCommons. (CC BY 2.0)

Tips for Observing the Perseid Meteor Shower & Summer’s Other Starry Nights

 This week, stargazers will be coming out in droves at night to open areas where they can see the night sky and observe the Perseid meteor shower. Each year, Earth passes through the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which leaves behind debris and comet dust, including the meteors that we call the Perseid.

The bright, quick-moving meteors leave behind bright streaks in the sky that last for a few moments after the meteor is gone. This year, the best viewing period for the Perseid is expected to be in the predawn hours of August 11, 12, 13, and 14, so unless you are a night owl, it may be best to set an alarm on those days to wake up after midnight and check the sky.  

To find out more about the best times & places to view the Perseid Meteor Shower, click here!

Photo by Brocken Inaglory, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lyrid Meteor Shower Expected to Offer Stunning Celestial Display April 22nd & 23rd!

What better way to signal an end to the long, cold, blustery winter we’ve had this year than by celebrating with some early-spring cloud watching and stargazing? This April, the Lyrid Meteor Shower offers the perfect excuse to spend a little extra time outside this month taking in the beauty of the day and night skies on Long Island! 

The shower is active each year from April 16th to 25th, but you can expect to see the greatest number of meteors falling the during the peak of the show between April 22nd and 23rd. This will be most visible in the hours preceding dawn on both days, though experts say the early morning hours of April 23rd will offer the brightest views. Forecasters expect to see 10 to 20 meteors throughout the shower, but during the peak it may be possible to see more than 100 meteors an hour.

Click here to find out more about the 2015 Lyrid Meteor Shower!

Photo by C M Handler, via WikiCommons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Super Star Gazing Spots on Long Island

Nothing is more relaxing than gazing up at the stars on a warm Summer night. Luckily for Long Island, there are plenty of places where you can go stargazing locally that are nice and dark, and far away from the bright city lights. Whether you're a novice, and you simply like looking up at the sky, or Star Gazing is one of your favorite past times, you won't want to miss out on this great list of wonderful places where you can relax, and look up at the sky!

For the scoop on the best local Star Gazing Spots, click here!