There’s An Incredible Meteor Shower Happening This Summer And Massachusetts Has A Front Row Seat

If you’re a stargazer, you know that there’s no better treat than watching a shooting star race across the sky. The only thing better might be seeing dozens at once. Luckily, an epic meteor shower is headed to the skies above Massachusetts this summer. Here’s where and when to check it out.

The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event that brings the beautiful light of meteors to skies around the world each summer. During the shower, stargazers can catch sight of hundreds of meteors flying across the dark. That’s far more than the one or two shooting stars you might see on an average night.

If you’ve never seen a meteor shower before, you’re truly in for a spectacle. Basically, meteors are tiny bits of debris that emit a dazzling light as they fall through Earth’s atmosphere. They fly 50 to 75 miles above the ground and most are only about the size of a grain of sand. The light they give off is a result of the superheated air around them cooling rapidly.

This year’s Perseid meteor shower will take place late on August 12 and extend into the early hours of August 13. In Massachusetts, the best time to see the shower in its full glory will be in the hours before sunrise. At its peak, the event is expected to feature about 90 meteors per hour.

Sadly, there is a chance that strong moonlight on the night of the shower might interfere with the visibility of the meteors. The best way to ensure you get an optimal view of the stars is to head somewhere with low light pollution. For most people, that will likely mean driving out to the countryside or at least leaving heavily populated areas.

This year’s Perseid meteor shower will take place on August 12 and August 13. To learn more about when to catch the 2019 Perseid meteor shower in Massachusetts, click here. Looking for another great summer adventure? Try this awesome pick-your-own strawberry farm in Massachusetts.