Conditions ripe for a mesmerizing Perseid meteor shower in Oregon

It’s shaping up to be a nice year for the Perseids.

With dark, clear skies expected for mid-August, the annual Perseid meteor shower should prove to be a good show for sky watchers as it peaks the nights of Aug. 12 and 13.

Technically active from July 14 to Sept. 1, the meteor shower typically produces an average of 50 to 75 meteors per hour at peak, according to the American Meteor Society, making it one of the biggest astronomical events of the year.

Meteor showers are best seen under the darkest skies possible, since the quick flashes of meteors can be drowned out by city lights or the light of the moon. Anyone in a rural location should be in good shape this year, with a moon that will pose very little threat to seeing the show.

The waning crescent moon will not only produce little interfering light, it will also set earlier in the evening and rise well after midnight on Aug. 12 and 13 in Portland, according to Time and Date, leaving darker skies than usual.

And while any relatively rural spot will do, those under especially dark skies, like those of central and eastern Oregon, might be treated to an even more spectacular experience.

Sky watchers should head out after dark and look up to the constellation Perseus (which is the namesake of the shower), found in the northern part of the sky. Get comfortable and stare up at the stars, and before long you’ll likely see the meteors.

While meteor showers are often a do-it-yourself activity, they can also be a social event. This year, like most years, OMSI and the Rose City Astronomers are hosting a star party at Rooster Rock State Park to watch the meteors on the night of Saturday, Aug. 12.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs as the Earth moves through a debris path left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet during its last trip past the sun in 1992. When a comet passes the sun, it sheds icy and dusty debris in a stream behind the comet’s orbit. When that debris enters Earth’s atmosphere it appears as a meteor shower.

Of course, cloud cover or wildfire smoke could hinder the show. Before you head out to catch the Perseids, check the latest smoke forecast online at airquality.weather.gov, and the upcoming weather forecast at weather.gov, both run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

— Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB

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