6 places to catch a perfect view of the Perseid Meteor Shower across USA

On the night of August 12 and early morning of August 13, the Earth will crash into debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it last swept through the solar system in 1992 – this will result in a stunning meteor shower. For star-gazers, the Perseid Meteor Shower will be a bonanza as just a week after the meteor shower, the first total solar eclipse completely visible from the USA will cast darkness for 2 minutes on August 21, 2017!

Here are the best suited places for catching a mesmerizing view of the Perseid Meteor Shower across the USA –

1. Grand Canyon National Park & provisional Dark Sky Park, Arizona

This is a perfect location for star-gazing as Grand Canyon made got provisional Dark Sky Park status last year. You can drive down to Mather Point near Grand Canyon Village on the south rim or the remoter Desert View or Lipan Point for the darkest skies.

2. Yellowstone National Park

3. Antelope Island State Park & Dark Sky Park, Utah

Antelope Island State Park is a great choice if you’re close to Salt Lake City as it recently earned the status of a Dark Sky Park this year. We suggest that you go over to the Western side of the park for darker skies as the Eastern part of the park is affected by light pollution from Salt Lake City. Campsites on the Western side include Bridger Bay and Antelope Island Campground.

4. Acadia National Park, Maine

The Acadia National Park is on Maine’s Mount Desert Island and isn’t officially a Dark Sky Park yet. However, you can travelthe park’s Duck Harbor Campground on Isle au Haut has five primitive sites which offer serene dark skies. The sites are off mainland and can be accessed by mailboat.

5. Staunton River State Park & Dark Sky Park, Virginia

Staunton River State Park is situated near Scottsburg on the shoreline of the John H. Kerr Reservoir and is a good choice for star-gazers coming in from Washington DC, Richmond and Northolt in Virginia, or from Charlotte in North Carolina. The park earned a Dark Sky Park status a few years ago and has a huge open field set aside for observing.

6. Grand Tetons National Park

The Perseids meteor shower should be treated like wildlife-spotting – the more you look, the more you see. The spectacle of seeing three bright meteors streak across the sky is awesome, but demands patience. So don’t take your eyes off the sky, and definitely don’t check your phone as this will disrupt your night vision. It can take up to 20 minutes for your eyes to recover back from that bright flash of light, and this can spoil the entire star-gazing experience. Last tip, Shooting star-gazing is best done while laying down on the ground.

So go pack your bags and head out on a Perseids meteor shower trip!

Photo credits – Shutterstock