Perseid meteor shower to put on dazzling show over Vancouver Thursday night

The Perseid Meteor Shower is returning to Metro Vancouver skies this week and will be most visible Thursday night.

NASA says the shower will be one of the best potential meteor viewing opportunities this year, with an onslaught of amazingly fast and bright meteors being most likely to be noticeable on Aug. 11 and 12.

“Forecasters are predicting a Perseid outburst this year with double normal rates,” said Bill Cooke with NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office in a statement. “Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour.”

And with Metro Vancouver’s weather forecast, it looks like locals will get a good show.

“The weather across most of the province will be perfect for viewing the meteor shower,” said Global News meteorologist Kristi Gordon.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs every August when Earth passes through a trail of debris left over from an ancient comet. Every piece of the meteor is a small chunk of the comet, which disintegrates into small flashes of light when they enter Earth’s atmosphere.

“The meteors you’ll see this year are from comet flybys that occurred hundreds if not thousands of years ago,” Cooke said. “And they’ve traveled billions of miles before their kamikaze run into Earth’s atmosphere.”

NASA says the best way to catch the shower is to stand outside for about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. The best show will take place between midnight and dawn on Friday, Aug. 12.