Where to Watch the Meteor Shower in Metro Vancouver

August, 2016:There will be a family event (plus camping) at Aldergrove Regional Park on August 13th

August 11, 2015: The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Even though the peak occurs overnight Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, the meteors will be showering until Aug. 24. This is the time frame that Earth is passing through the debris trail left by comet Swift-Tuttle. As our planet moves through its dust shower, comet particles will collide with our atmosphere, burn up and create flashes of light that will be visible right across the skies of Northern Hemisphere. [CBC]

August 11, 2014: The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. It will compete with the Supermoon, which will shine 14% brighter this week.

August 10, 2012: The Perseid Meteor Shower will be visible this weekend. Look for it in the early morning hours after midnight on August 12 until dawn, and during the same period on August 13 per the Space Centre.

Where to Watch the Meteor Shower in Metro Vancouver

The skies will be lit up tonight and tomorrow night with the Perseid meteor shower. Most visible at night and away from the flood of city lights, about 100 meteors per hour can be seen streaking across the sky during the shower’s peak. NASA astronomers say that will be just after 10:00pm Thursday, per CBC BC. Other sources say the most active time will be from 2:00am until 4:00am Friday.

With effects, the Perseid Meteor Shower, August 2009. Photo: Adcuz on Flickr

The Province reports that one of the best viewing areas will be in the Fraser Valley as hundreds of people gather each year at Aldergrove Lake Park. An H.R. MacMillan Space Centre representative also told The Province that Dark Sky Park in Abbotsford would be a great place to catch the meteor shower as well.

I looked up “Dark Sky Park” to discover that it’s a nickname given to McDonald Park as it has officially been declared free of light pollution.

I’d have to agreed that out in the valley you will have a darker sky that will make the meteors easier to spot. However I would also recommend heading to the Sunshine Coast (although the last ferry back is at 9:40pm) or even heading up the Sea to Sky a bit to perhaps Porteau Cove (about 45 minutes from downtown). A friend of mine will be heading out to Cultus Lake where she says the stars are the brightest around.

A little closer to home you can try Cypress Mountain to get you above the city lights or Iona Beach although lights from air traffic at YVR might be distracting. You may also be able to spot some stars from Barnet Marine Park or Belcarra as they are tucked beside the Burrard Inlet, facing a “quieter” side of the North Shore.

If you do happen to spot the meteor shower and are able to take photos, consider adding them to the Miss604 group on Flickr. I’ll update this post on Friday with shots that are contributed.

Update Here’s a shot that’s been added to the Flickr group from last night’s meteor shower:

Anchal Jain (Photog) on Flickr

Keep the photos coming if you have them and I’ll include them in this post, thanks!