The ‘best meteor show of the year’ will be above Boise this weekend. Here’s how to watch

The “best meteor shower of the year” will be visible from Idaho this weekend, and the moon’s waning crescent phase should provide better viewing opportunities than last year, according to NASA.

The Perseid meteor shower typically peaks in mid-August and is considered one of the most dependable showers each year, along with the December Geminids, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Stargazers across the U.S. can expect to see one meteor every couple of minutes during the Perseid shower, NASA reports, so long as they’re in a place without too much light pollution. Between 50 to 75 meteors can be spotted during the height of the shower’s activity. Some local areas have meteor shower-watching parties.

Here’s what to know about seeing the Perseid meteor shower in the Boise area this year.

When will the meteor shower peak in Idaho?

This year’s Perseids are expected to peak very late Saturday night, early Sunday morning, according to the American Meteor Society, though it may be easier to see them in the dark Saturday evening.

The Perseids shower got its name from its “radiant” (the place the meteors appear to come from), the constellation Perseus, according to Space.com. Perseid meteors result from particles from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is slowly orbiting the sun at a rate of 133 years per complete orbit.

“When the Earth passes through that part of (the comet’s) orbit, all of those pieces of the comet crash into the atmosphere and burn up as they pass through the air at supersonic velocities,” Brian Jackson, an associate professor at Boise State’s Physics Department, previously told the Idaho Statesman.

The meteors in this shower are known for their fireballs.

“They ablate in the atmosphere, they’re basically heated up and vaporized, and that makes up this really brilliant light show,” Jackson said.

How to view the meteors in Idaho

Clear skies are predicted for easy viewing around Boise this weekend. As of Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service in Boise forecasts clear weather with no chance for storms. The low temperature on Saturday night into Sunday morning, the best time to view the meteor shower, will be 64 degrees.

For Idahoans, the constellation Perseus appears along the northeast horizon shortly after the sun sets and rises high into the night sky.

That means you’ll find it hard to see any meteors in the middle of downtown Boise. But plenty of locations a short drive from the Treasure Valley will offer great viewing spots.

Where can you watch the meteors near Boise?

The website Light Pollution Map shows where exactly you can escape light pollution, but Jackson also had some recommendations of his own:

• Camel’s Back Park - The top of the hill at Camel’s Back Park allows you to put the light pollution behind you and look out toward the Boise Mountains.

• Dedication Point - Pull-off area near Celebration Park south of Boise with zero light pollution.

• Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve - An area of land in sun Valley where no lights are allowed.

“There’s a big region between Stanley and Ketchum where the light pollution is as dark as anywhere in the United States; it’s actually one of the darkest places in the world,” Jackson said of the Dark Sky Reserve. “So that’s a great place to go.”

The next chance to watch a significant meteor shower will be the Orionids from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22, with the peak coming Oct. 20-21.