This is how to watch the Perseid meteor shower in Ontario
Ontario residents in several parts of the province may get the chance to see the spectacular Perseid meteor shower this week.
Experts say the meteor shower will peak on the evening of August 12 around midnight, making the early morning hours on August 13 the ideal time to watch the skies.
“The Perseid meteor shower occurs annually in August and is caused by the earth passing through the debris trail left behind by the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle,” said Dr. Rachel Ward-Maxwell, a researcher and programmer of astronomy and space sciences at the Ontario Science Centre.
“Although the meteors will be visible all across the sky, they will appear to all come from the same point called the radiant located in the constellation of Perseus in the north-eastern sky.”
She added that the shower would occur “under less-than-ideal conditions this year” because they will coincide with a full moon making the sky very bright and the meteors more difficult to see.
“Warm summer nights make the Perseids one of the most popular meteor showers to watch and you can typically spot 50 to 80 meteors per hour at most under dark skies,” she said. “The moonlight this year will make this hourly rate more unlikely.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.