Perseid, the year’s best meteor shower, peaks soon. Here’s how to see it in Raleigh

It’s a busy time of year for outdoor movies and concerts, but one of the best shows of the season is on now, and it’s free.

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which began in mid-July and goes on until about Aug. 15, will peak the night of Saturday, Aug. 12, if skies are clear.

UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will cohost a free skywatching event for the public the night of Aug. 12 with the Raleigh Astronomy Club and the Chapel Hill Astronomical Society at Dorothea Dix Park.

Dr. Amy Sayle, a science education specialist at the planetarium, answers a few questions about the meteor shower and the skywatching event.

What is the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseids -- pronounced per-SEE-ids -- are meteors that appear to radiate from the Perseus constellation, but can be seen all over the night sky.

We see meteor showers when the Earth passes through debris left by a comet or asteroid that went through the inner solar system. While lay people sometimes call them shooting stars, meteors are not stars at all.

Basically, Sayle said, “We’re running into the dust left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. We run into it every year.”

Swift-Tuttle orbits the sun every 133 years. It last came through in 1992, leaving particles mostly about the size of grains of sand, that are stationary in space until the Earth passes through. The resulting white streaks we see are not the particles themselves, NASA says, but the glowing hot air as the debris zips through the atmosphere.

“You have this incoming particle and it’s compressing the air in front of it and it creates this white-hot shock wave along its path,” Sayle said. “That’s what you’re seeing.”

Will the Perseids be different this year?

Astronomers say the 2023 display should be especially striking because it will occur during the time the moon is passing between the Earth and the sun — coming into a new moon — so the sky will create a dark background for the meteors’ light show.

The Perseids are beloved in part because the sheer volume of space debris produces an extraordinary number of white streaks across the sky — up to one per minute.

What’s the best way to see it?

You can set yourself up to watch the Perseid meteor shower anywhere, including your back yard if you have one, but the farther you can get from the lights of town, the more meteors you’ll be able to see.

▪ The event at Dix Park will run from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., when crew and volunteers from the Planetarium and the astronomy clubs will be on hand. While the meteors will be visible to the naked eye, organizers also will aim telescopes at stellar features such as double stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Because of light pollution from the city, don’t expect to see as many meteors as would be visible in a place with darker skies.

The event will be held at the Big Field in Dix Park, which is easiest to get to from the Hunt Drive entrance off Western Boulevard or the Blair Drive entrance off Centennial Parkway.

While it’s free, organizers of the Dix Park stargazing event ask that you RSVP online so they can plan to accommodate everyone who wants to attend. Also, if you RSVP you get an update if the event is canceled because of rain or overcast skies.

Sayle said skywatching with a crowd that ooohs and aaaahs at the sight of meteors is special.

“It’s a reminder that we’re all part of the universe,” she said. “It’s about connecting to the sky, the universe and each other, and enjoying a summer night. You can watch TV any old time. But nature is putting on a show. Let’s go out and see it.”

What are the rules?

▪ Carpool if possible. Last year, about 4,500 people came and Dix Park officials prefer not to have cars on the grass.

▪ No pets.

▪ No smoking.

▪ Please remind children not to touch the telescopes when looking through the lens.

▪ It’s OK to come late and leave early; no need to stay the full two hours, but you’re welcome to do so.

▪ Don’t use flashlights, even red-tinted ones, unless absolutely necessary, and when necessary, point them only at the ground. Dix Park gets light pollution from the city and if you give your eyes time to adjust, you should be able to see where you’re going. Turning on lights or cell phones forces you and others to restart the process of letting your pupils dilate.

▪ Remember to look at the sky, not at the friends or family you might be talking with. Sayle said it feels rude not to look at your friends, but the meteors move fast — 37 miles per second — and if you look away, you’ll miss them.

What to bring

▪ Carry a lawn chair or blanket and dress in layers as it gets cool even on summer nights if you’re being still. Accessible porta-johns are located in the Big Field and in Flowers Field at the park. Set up your chairs or spread your blanket away from the telescopes.

▪ Patience. Allow 30 minutes or more for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and don’t undo the dilation by checking your phone. If you need a flashlight, use one with a red filter.

If you miss the Perseid meteor shower, or if you love it and want to see more, the Orionids shower will come around in October, the Leonids in November and the Geminids in December.