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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.