Meteor shower viewing parties set across Minnesota

May 26, 2023

DULUTH — People across Minnesota will be turning their heads to the sky in unison next week to watch the Perseid meteor shower at star-watching parties statewide.

Assuming, of course, it’s not raining.

The annual, outdoor night “Statewide Star Party” phenomenon has grown in recent years with events at Voyageurs National Park, at state parks along the North Shore, in Duluth and elsewhere. Because the Perseids should be especially visible this year, star party-viewing is expected to be an even bigger draw.

Star parties are aimed at beginner skywatchers with mentorship by experienced astronomers. Many of the events include daytime presentations, discussions on astronomy books and films as well as telescopes and binoculars on-site for after-sunset sky watching.

The events are hosted by schools, nature centers, colleges, libraries, museums, parks and other local organizations. All events are family-friendly and include free outdoor sky watching and activities.

This is the fourth year for the statewide star party that’s coordinated by the Bell Museum, said Nia Navarro, statewide community engagement coordinator for the museum a St. Paul-based branch of the University of Minnesota.

Navarro said Bell has been reaching out to more groups and facilities to host star pirates. This year’s theme, “Astronomy for All,” is designed to “empower the astronomer within all of us,” she noted, with various sites offering activities for all ages, abilities and cultural perspectives.

This year, host facilities have been given engagement kits to bring more people into the astronomy fold, including both Ojibwe and Dakota constellation directories. The goal, Navarro said, is to make sure everyone can have access to both seeing and learning about the night sky.

“We timed it to coincide with the peak of the Perseids, but we want to encourage all people, of all cultures and all across the state, to look up and feel the sense of wonder you get from the night sky any time,” Navarro said. “It’s important we make this a statewide event. We have our planetarium here (at the museum) but we want to make the wonder of the night sky available to all people in Minnesota.”

The Perseid meteor shower, also known as the Perseids, is active every year from mid-July to late August. This year the shower became active July 17 and will last until Aug. 24, peaking on the night of Aug. 12-13. But 2023 is expected to be a better year for watching because the waning crescent moon will be only about 12 % illuminated at the peak meteor activity, according to space.com.

The Perseids occur when Earth passes through debris — bits of ice and rock — left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed close to Earth in 1992. The Perseids peak when Earth passes through the densest and dustiest area. Years without moonlight see higher rates of visible meteors per hour, and in outburst years, such as in 2016, the rate can be between 150-200 meteors per hour.

The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to come from lies in the constellation Perseus.

Bob King, who writes the " Astro Bob" astronomy column for the News Tribune, said everyone in the northern hemisphere can get a good look at the Perseids.

“You can look anywhere in the sky to see them, but my preference is facing east or south. You can identify a Perseid meteor from a random meteor by following its trail backwards: If it points to Perseus, the constellation under Cassiopeia, it's a shower member,” King said.

Viewing starts around 10 p.m. when the last rays of sunlight are finally gone, but the best time is typically from midnight until just before dawn.

“That's when Perseus rises higher in the sky,” King said.

Meteor rates on the peak night should be around 60-80 per hour under ideal conditions: little moon, clear skies and no haze from wildfire smoke. In Duluth and other cities, with more light pollution, people may notice only 20-30 meteors per hour.

According to NASA, Perseids are also known for their fireballs. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material.

The star party events also are an opportunity for night sky enthusiasts to call more attention to the issue of light pollution and efforts to rein-in unnecessary artificial lighting across the globe. Night sky supporters have been successful in certifying both Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as official International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark Sky Association.

All of the star party events are free and open without reservations, although some events planned before sunset may require preregistration and fees and those events held at state parks and other locations may require entry fees or passes. Call ahead to the site for more information or go to bellmuseum.umn.edu/statewide-star-party-2023 .

Ely — Ely Public Library, 224 E Chapman St., Aug. 11, 1-3 p.m.

Voyageurs National Park — Rainy Lake Visitors Center, 1797 Township Road 342, Aug. 11, events all day culminating with star watching from 9 p.m.-midnight.

Voyageurs National Park — Kabetogama Lake Visitors Center, 9940 Cedar Lane, Kabetogama, Aug. 12, events all day culminating with star watching from 9 p.m.-midnight.

Palisade — Long Lake Conservation Center, 28952 438th Lane, Aug. 12, 5-11 p.m.

Duluth —Marshall Alworth Planetarium, 1023 University Drive, Aug. 7, 8-11 p.m.

North Shore —Split Rock Lighthouse, 3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road, Two Harbors, Aug. 8, 8-11 p.m.

North Shore — Tettegouche State Park, 5702 Minnesota Highway 61, Silver Bay, Aug. 9, 8-11 p.m.

Gunflint Trail — Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on Sagana Lake, 28 Moose Pond Drive, Grand Marais, Aug. 12, 8-11 p.m.

Grand Marais — North House Folk School, 500 W. Highway 61, Aug. 10, 8-11 p.m.

Gunflint Trail — Seagull Lake Community Center, 7 Seagull Lake Access Road, Grand Marais, Aug. 11, 8-11 p.m.

Meadowlands — Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, 8793 Owl Ave., Aug. 11, 8 p.m.

Fertile — Agassiz Environmental Learning Center, 400 Summit Ave., Aug. 11, 7 p.m.

Austin — Jay C. Hormel Nature Center/Sola Fide Observatory, 1304 21st St. NE, Aug. 12, 7-11 p.m.

Moorhead — Minnesota State University Moorhead Planetarium, 700 11th St. S., Aug. 11-12.

Minneapolis — Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, 1 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Aug. 10, 4-9:30 p.m.

Minneapolis — JD Rivers’ Children’s Garden, 2900 Glenwood Ave., Aug. 11-12, 7-10 p.m.

Minneapolis — North Mississippi Regional Park/Kroening Nature Center, 5116 N Mississippi Drive, Aug. 12, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

St. Paul — Bell Museum, 2088 Larpenteur Ave. W., Aug. 11, 9:30-11 p.m.

Buffalo — Buffalo Great River Regional Library, 18 Lake Boulevard NW, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.

Preston — Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, 21071 County Road 118, Preston, Aug. 12, 8:30 p.m.

Comfrey — Jeffers Petroglyphs, 27160 County Road 2, Aug. 10 and 12, 8-11 p.m.

Elk River — Oliver Kelley Farm, 15788 Kelley Farm Road, Aug. 12, 8-10 p.m.

The Loon Lake Community Center south of Aurora is holding a family-friendly “Camping Under the Stars” night Aug. 12-13 with a buffet dinner and pancake breakfast with stargazing sandwiched in between. There will be presentations, including by Iron Range Astronomy Club member Dale Kentoph, and stargazing after 10 p.m. Saturday night. Stargazing events are $5 and camping is $25 per site (RVs and tents welcome; no hookups). Meals are extra. Preregistration is required. Call 218-229-2813 or go to townofwhite.com .

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