The Perseid meteor shower is back and will reach its peak late Sunday night, August 11th going into the early hours of Morning, August 11th!
Washingtonians interested in seeing some of the shooting stars that come with this famous annual meteor shower will also be happy to hear that the conditions are near perfect for you to see the ‘shooting stars’ clearly!
Where to see the Perseid Meteor Shower near DC
Well, the reality is that if you are anywhere near the district on Sunday night, the light pollution from the city might just be too much to see as many ‘shooting stars’ as you could outside the city.
While we’d highly recommend some of the incredible hiking trails around DC to connect with nature and sit under the stars, the reality is that the Perseid Meteor Shower is only visible late at night, so if you plan to camp out that’s one thing, however, we do not recommend hiking in the dark unless you have the proper equipment and are adequately experienced.
- Whiteoak Canyon trail at Shenandoah National Park
- Tregaron Conservancy
- Sugarloaf Mountain
While these spots are great, we highly recommend that you do your research to make sure that, first, you are following all local laws and guidelines to avoid issues like not being allowed to hike or enter at night, and two, that you are adequately comfortable traversing the area in the evening.
Even if you plan to camp out the night to see the meteor shower, you’ll still need to be able to move around in the dark even if just for a little, meaning you should have both the equipment and know-how to be able to ensure you and those with are safe and responsible.
What is the Perseid Meteor Shower?
The Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the most viewed and anticipated annual astronomical events!
The meteors, which often look like ‘shooting stars’ are essentially just a series of debris that follows in the wake of a larger comet known as Comet 109P-Swift-Tuttle.
The ‘shooting’ you see is just the meteors, or debris, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere!