If you are looking to catch a glimpse of the annual light show that is the Perseid meteor shower, your local state park may have something in store for you.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation will be keeping a few state parks open during nighttime hours to view the meteor shower. The following park locations will remain open during the peak meteor shower viewing times from 11 p.m. on Sunday until dawn on Monday.
Jones Beach State Park – West End II
Gov. Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park – Field 3
Montauk Point State Park – Upper Parking Lot
Robert Moses State Park – Field 2
There is no charge for nighttime visitors, and the normal star gazing permit will not be required. The NY State Parks does require that people who come at night stay near their vehicles.
The NY State Parks Department recommends that visitors dress appropriately, bring bug spray, and bring a reclining chair. Binoculars will not be necessary to enjoy the meteor shower, as viewers will only need to look to the northeast sky to see the shower.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet called the Swift Tuttle. Meteors are seen across the night sky when debris from the comet enters the earth’s atmosphere. Though the Perseid meteor shower usually falls during the last week of July or part of the first week of August, the peak of this year’s Perseids will be the night of Sunday, August 11 into Monday, August 12.