Illinois Science Council presents a free meteor-watching event. The Chicago and Evanston Park Districts are extending beach access hours to allow people to sit on the lakefront to look for shooting stars. Take a blanket (and bug spray); sit with family or friends and enjoy a beautiful summer evening while marveling at our planet's place in the galaxy.
Meteor Viewing:
Saturday, August 11, 2012
9:00pm – 12:00 midnight
- Lighthouse Beach Park, 2611 Sheridan Rd. (Central St. at Sheridan Rd.), Evanston, IL
- 12th Street Beach (1200 South), Chicago, IL
- Montrose Beach, (4400 North), Chicago, IL
Sunday, August 12, 2012
9:00pm – 12:00 midnight
- 12th Street Beach (1200 South), Chicago, IL
- Montrose Beach, (4400 North), Chicago, IL
** No swimming or entry into the water is allowed at the beaches during this event. (It's not rocket science, people, it's star-gazing. From the shore, not in the water. Don't get the park districts mad at ISC.)
The Perseid Meteor Shower is an annual astronomical phenomenon in which the earth’s orbit passes through the cloud of particles ejected from the comet Swift-Tuttle as it travels on its 130-year orbit. The Perseids are so-called because the point from which they appear to come in the sky, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The display of “shooting starts” is visible in the night sky for several weeks each year, with peak activity between August 9 and 14. They can be seen all across the sky, but because of the path of Swift-Tuttle's orbit, Perseids are primarily visible in the northern hemisphere.
Additional details HERE.
