Here’s How You Can Catch This Weekend’s Meteor Shower In Illinois

If you're looking for a chance to see what those who know about these things have called the best meteor shower that we'll see this year, it appears as though you are in luck.

There are various meteor showers that take place over the course of a calendar year, but our viewing opportunities over the last few months have been pretty bad, thanks to too many clouds hanging around, or the moonlight was so bright it washed out any chance to see meteors whizzing through the sky.

Not this time. Viewing conditions look like they'll be fantastic.

Northern Illinois' weather forecasts for the weekend feature clear skies during overnight hours (the best time to see a meteor shower), and a moon that will be setting around midnight (no extra light in the sky to keep you from seeing the meteors).

This Weekend's Viewing Of The Perseid Meteor Shower Should Be Outstanding, But Make Sure You Put August Of 2028 On Your Calendar For Something Even Better

Like I said, the conditions will be great for this year's peak of the Perseid meteor shower, but experts say that the Perseid meteor shower in August of 2028 will be what they call an "outburst year."

What makes an outburst year's Perseid meteor shower better?

Well, according to NASA, this year's Perseids will produce 50-100 viewable meteors per hour, which is an impressive amount. However, in 2028, an outburst year, the Perseids will be so intense due to a meteor storm that they could produce up to 1,000 viewable meteors per hour!

Here's When To Go Outside To Check Out The Perseid Meteor Shower In Northern Illinois, What You'll Need To View It, And What You Can Expect To See

One of the coolest things about the Perseids is that they move really quickly across the nighttime sky, and they often leave a long tail of colors and lights. As a bonus, you may even see some really bright fireballs going off, too.

Most of the sky experts are calling for anywhere between 50 and 100 visible meteors every hour during the peak Sunday night going into Monday morning.

The best viewing times for the Perseids are after 10pm right up to the hour or so before sunrise. Find the darkest spot you can, and allow your eyes about 30 minutes to fully adjust to the darkness. You don't need a telescope or binoculars.

The Perseid meteor shower began in mid-July and wraps up in early September, but the peak, or absolute best viewing time, is this weekend.

Enjoy!