The peak of the Leonid meteor shower will be visible at the Pickett CCC Memorial State Park Night Sky event Friday night.
Park Ranger Michael Hodge said the shower typically peaks after midnight, but there are likely to be 10-15 meteors visible per hour. Hodge said the astronomy field where the event is held is a dedicated dark sky park, maximizing visibility.
“People have been going out and looking at the night sky and just thinking about their place in the world for generations so it’s important to maintain that,” Hodge said. “On a more practical side, it’s beneficial for our health.”
Hodge will lead the hour-long programming, discussing the night sky and identifying constellations as the shower approaches. Hodge said the park will set up telescopes for visitors to use.
“Just a really great night under a dark sky,” Hodge said. “The Milky Way is still up, so we’ll still be able to see the Milky Way. With the meteor shower, hopefully, we’ll be able to see some really nice meteors streaking across the sky.”
Hodge said Jupiter and Saturn are visible this time of year, giving visitors even more to observe. Hodge said the program is a unique opportunity because there are no trees to obstruct the view from the astronomy field and limited light pollution.
“I just really think it’s really neat to see these things and to be part of them and that there’s all this stuff going on out in space that we can just witness and enjoy that,” Hodge said.
Hodge said the park holds night sky events every Friday, but rarely is there an opportunity to see something as spectacular as this. The event is free, but the park will accept donations to fund projects and events just like this one.
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