Slow Nature Fast City

New York City may not have the best skies for stargazing. But you still may be able to see a meteor shower in the next few days.

This Thursday August 11 and Friday August 12, the Perseids, the biggest meteor shower of the year, will be lighting up the night sky. This year the Perseids promise to be the best shower of the decade.

The Perseids typically peak in mid-August every year, when the Earth intersects with the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Debris from the comet impacts the Earth’s atmosphere and streaks across the sky, creating shooting stars. Learn more from Space.com’s Perseids Meteor Shower Guide.

In NYC, some of the the best places to see the Perseids meteor shower are:

• City beaches like the Rockaways
• The Long Meadow in Prospect Park in Brooklyn
• The parade grounds in Van Cortland Park in the Bronx

If you’d like to see the meteors with amateur astronomers:

• On Thursday, August 11 the Amateur Astronomers will be observing at Brooklyn Bridge Park
• On Saturday, August 13 there will be a meteor-viewing party at Inwood Hill Park

Remember to look up this week!