People are being invited to join astronomers and camp out under the stars for this year’s Metro Parks annual Perseid Meteor Shower Watch in Aldergrove.
Saturday evening(Aug. 13), members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Vancouver Centre (RASC), and the Fraser Valley Astronomers Society will have telescopes set up in Aldergrove Regional Park’s south field for the public to gaze at the stars and watch meteors streak through the night sky.
“This year’s Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to be a meteor storm. We may see well over 100 meteors per hour, a much higher frequency compared to previous years which makes for an exciting show,” said Suzanna Nagy, president of RASC – Vancouver Centre.
“This event is also the only night of the year that Metro Parks allows overnight camping in Aldergrove Regional Park which makes this a unique experience for all ages," she added.
Throughout the evening, RASC will be hosting three guest speakers in the club’s main tent:
8 to 9 p.m.: Dr. Stanley Greenspoon, Extraterrestrial Planets and the search for Extraterrestrial life
9 to 10 p.m.: Ken Lui, ‘Why are there meteor showers?’
10 to 11 p.m.: Craig Breckenridge, Canadian designed large observatories
The event also includes a musical star mythology presentation, a wishing tree, crafts and a facepainting tent.
There will also be a 1.2-km lantern walk through the park with an observing site hosted by Pacific Telescopes, as well as two other nature stations hosted by Metro Park staff.
The Planetary Society, as well as Science World, will also have displays on hand.
The park’s Aldergrove Elks Lodge concession will be selling hot drinks, food and Sunday morning breakfast.
There will be a $2 fee to attend the event and those who are camping overnight are encouraged to set up their tent or RV before 8pm. For camping guidelines, please visit Metro Park’s event page.
Details:
From Saturday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. to Sunday Aug. 14 at 11 a.m.
Aldergrove Regional Park Lefeuvre Road at 8th Ave.
(map)