By design, Stellar Vista Observatory’s free monthly public star party in Kanab, scheduled for Saturday, August, 12, coincides with the peak of the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower! With our moon only 10% illuminated and setting at 6:36 pm, natural darkness will favor the excitement of witnessing “falling stars.” If conditions are clear, one could expect to see several dozen meteors per hour, or more!

August is a lovely time of year to experience the magic of the night sky. Comfortable late summer evening temperatures prevail beneath a canopy of stars. What a splendid opportunity to ponder and relish the notion that we owe our very existence to stars because in them are forged all the elements of the physical world of which we too, are made! The astonishing spectacle of our Milky Way Galaxy, coupled with the presence of meteors will make this occasion especially memorable. SVO’s powerful telescopes will be set up and ready for you, aimed by knowledgeable amateur astronomers at the plethora of fascinating deep sky objects in the summer sky.

Bring a folding lounge chair if you have one, or pad to stretch out on while watching for the impressive streaks. Perseid meteors are generated when tiny bits of material, left behind by comet 109P Swift-Tuttle, encounter Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40 miles per second and vaporize with a brilliant light.

The later at night you stay out to watch for them, the more meteors you are likely to see. This event will take place at the Jackson Flat Reservoir boat launch parking area, beginning at 9:15 PM. Visit the SVO website https://stellarvistaobservatory.org/news/, and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/stellarvistaobservatory for updates and weather related changes.