QCAS, Pleasant Valley High Hosting Meteor Shower Viewing Tonight
The Quad Cities Astronomical Society and the Pleasant Valley High School Astronomy Club will co-host a meteor shower viewing party at Pleasant Valley Junior High School, at 3501 Wisconsin Street in Leclaire, on Saturday, August 7.
The viewing party will begin at dusk, approximately 8:30 p.m. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
Masks are optional at this outdoor event, but are encouraged in areas where social distancing cannot be maintained.
During the viewing party, “shooting stars” originating from the annual Perseid meteor shower should be visible. Though the number is impossible to predict, as many as 80 meteors or more per hour could flash across the sky at the peak, which usually occurs shortly after midnight.
Telescopes will be set up throughout the event, so those attending will also have an opportunity to use the telescopes to view objects such as the planets Jupiter and Saturn, double stars, star clusters, and nebulas. A member of the Quad Cities Astronomical Society will also be on hand to present information and answer questions about the meteor shower and visible constellations.
As part of the viewing party, QCAS will raffle off a telescope. Tickets are $2 apiece and three for $5, and you need not be present to win.
Those who attend are advised to bring lawn chairs and insect repellent, and to dress for the weather. The event will be cancelled if the weather is cloudy or rainy.
Updates on the event will be posted to the Facebook page of the Quad Cities Astronomical Society, at https://m.facebook.com/groups/
