There’s An Incredible Meteor Shower Happening This Summer And Montana Has A Front Row Seat
It’s hard to deny the mesmerizing beauty of a meteor shower, and Montana is lucky to have wonderfully dark skies that allow us to enjoy them to the fullest. This August, Montanans will have front row seats to a particularly mesmerizing show. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, filling the sky with streaks of light as the rocky rubble burns up upon entering our atmosphere. This, of course, sounds much scarier than it is, as we get to enjoy it from Earth and watch it unfold as shooting stars dance across the night sky.
The annual Perseid meteor shower is one of the most beloved celestial events for astrology buffs and casual stargazers alike.
The best views of the dazzling display are found in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fact that it happens during the warm summer months makes it all the more enjoyable.
The 2019 Perseid meteor shower will reach its maximum rate of activity on August 13, although August 11 and 12 should also bring fantastic visibility.
If you want to get a good look at the shower, we suggest turning your eyes to the sky in the wee hours of the morning beginning around August 9.
It’s during wondrous natural events like this that we feel luckiest to live in Montana, a state so full of wide open spaces that its official nickname is Big Sky Country.
If you're able to be near Glacier National Park or a secluded campsite, you'll probably see plenty of meteors if you have minimal artificial light nearby.
The Perseids are actually named after the constellation Perseus.
This is due to the direction from which the shower seems to originate in the sky, which lies in the same direction as Perseus. At its peak, you'll probably be able to see 80 meteors an hour during the astral event.
If you've never witnessed a Perseid meteor shower, make this the year you check it out.
Jessica Wick is a writer and travel enthusiast who loves exploring new places, meeting new people and, of course, beautiful Big Sky Country and every part of Washington State.
