August 12th is going to be a great day for space enthusiasts. There's a total solar eclipse in parts of Iceland and Spain, with a partial eclipse visible in some parts of northern and eastern Canada. Here in Manitoba, most of the spectacle will take place at night.
Pierre Langlois, Manager of Space Astronomy and Science Missions at the Canadian Space Agency, said meteor showers are an especially unique phenomenon. The Perseids meteor shower happens every year, when Earth passes through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Langlois gave a very Canadian analogy for what the process is like.
"When you see meteor showers like that, it's the same thing as when you see snow coming towards your windshield as you're driving when it's snowing. So it's not those particles coming towards the Earth, it's the Earth ramming into that comet tail," said Langlois.
Rural Manitoba has a unique advantage over urban centres when it comes to viewing the Perseids meteor shower: very little light pollution.
"Depending on the size of the particles, you'll get more or less light, and of course if it's a very dim meteor, the grain of sand is very small, there might not be enough light to be easily distinguishable, and it's gonna be obscured by the city lights...going in a darker place allows you to see more of these dust particles, as opposed to staying in the city where you'll only see the biggest ones, the shiniest," said Langlois.
All you need to do is drive ten to twenty minutes out of town, put your car in park, and look up. Langlois recommends to bring a comfortable chair or blankets, and to be patient if you don't see anything right away.
"Stay twenty minutes outside, because your eyes will get accustomed to the darkness, your eyes will be more sensitive if you stay a lot longer," said Langlois.
The Perseids meteor shower is the brightest annual meteor shower, featuring between 50 and 100 meteors per hour during the peak. This year's peak is expected for the night of August 12th into the morning of August 13th.
