Meteor shower peaks this week

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004 | 8:48 a.m.

This month's meteor shower, peaking this week, is considered one of the best celestial displays all year, astronomers said.

To view the radiant streaks produced as Earth passes through fragments of ice and dust, avid watchers have to leave Las Vegas and its glistening lights.

The meteors are called the Perseid shower because those shooting stars seem to radiate out from the constellation Perseus hanging in the northeastern section of the night sky, said Daisy Polidor, management assistant at the Community College of Southern Nevada Planetarium.

All this week sky watchers can catch some silvery streaks after midnight, up to 100 per hour.

The peak of activity for the Perseids will occur on Thursday morning, after midnight on Wednesday, planetarium manager Robert Pippin said.

"The best time to watch these meteors is from midnight until 3 a.m.," Pippin said.

On this particular night, observers can see from 75 to 200 meteors per hour, if the conditions are right.

As Earth travels around the sun, more meteors are encountered on the leading side of the Earth.

For earthlings who want to have the best view of the meteor shower, Pippin and Polidor suggest driving to the Valley of Fire, 35 miles northeast of Las Vegas off Interstate 15, or Echo Bay at Lake Mead.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, west of Las Vegas, is too polluted with urban lights to afford a good observation point, Polidor said.

The only glitch in viewing the Perseids might be some clouds from the possible return of the Southwest monsoonal flow. To watch in comfort, here are other tips: