By Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Shooting stars have been a wonder to behold in the night sky for generations, and a benefit of living in the Midwest tends to be the ability to see many of them without obstruction. This week, many shooting stars will be on display for all to see, as the earth moves through debris left by the Swift-Tuttle Comet, known as the Perseids Meteor Shower.
The Perseids Meteor Shower is a yearly event that stargazers look forward to, and this year’s is slated to be at its highest peak on August 11-12. In 2021, stargazers were able to see as many as 200 meteors per hour. This year, the moon will not only be full, but it will be classified as a supermoon, which means it will look larger than normal.
While the density of the viewing will not be as high as it could be due to a full moon, viewers should still be able to catch sight of up to 100 meteors per hour, making for a lot of “shooting stars.”
Palisades State Park will be hosting a viewing event for those who wish to see the meteor shower, and all are invited. From 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., folks will gather at the upper road by Balancing Rock Trail to take in the spectacle.
“The park’s telescope will be set up for visitors,” said Park Supervisor Luke Dreckman. “The benefits of having it at the park is that we have a larger, higher powered telescope for optimal viewing. The park is usually far enough away from city light pollution that stars, constellations, planets, and meteors show up more prominently. Our park naturalist will be on site to talk a little astronomy and about the Perseid Meteor Shower.”
Not only will viewers be able to take in the meteor shower, they’ll be able to take a closer look at the full moon and Saturn, one of the major planets in view during August.
According to EarthSky.org, Saturn can be used to see the arrowhead in the constellation Capricornus, where the planet is in front. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, and Jupiter may also be seen during this time.
Astronomers recommend getting as far away from city lights as possible to see the meteor shower. The less light, the better when it comes to viewing, which makes the Garretson area a good spot, since the town is more than 10 miles from larger lighted areas such as Sioux Falls.
Dreckman recommends visitors bring bug spray, lawn chairs, and blankets, and to limit flashlight use (red light is allowed) in order to experience the full viewing.
Another benefit will be “a chance to meet some new people with similar interests,” said Dreckman. “This is just one of many things the park offers, there’s literally something for everyone.”
Bill Cooke, the lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, gave Space.com some extra pointers on how to view the shower best.
He recommended allotting an extra 30-45 minutes beforehand to allow eyes to adjust to the night sky after getting away from as much ambient light as possible, to leave cell phones off as the screen can deteriorate night vision, and to lie flat on the ground in order to view as much of the sky as possible.
And while seeing the point where many of the meteors appear to originate, also known as the radiant, is neat, Cooke recommended to keep eyes further away from that point, as it’ll be easier to see the tails of the meteors.
There is a small possibility of rain showers Thursday into Friday, and for clouds through Friday in the area, but viewers are hopeful the sky Friday night will be clear for easy viewing.
Also this weekend there will be an “Eggstrodianry Painting” at the ampitheater at 11 a.m. and a Make Your Own Ice Cream exhibition at 2 p.m. at the Picnic Shelter.
