Wednesday will be quite the astronomical doubleheader as during the day the sun undergoes a that will occur along a narrow track for viewers in Greenland, Iceland, Northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and part of Portugal. Thousands of eclipse-chasers have flocked to cruise ships and land tours for prime viewing areas.
At night and into dawn, will be at its peak and under ideal viewing conditions 鈥� barring any weather or wildfire smoke.
For the D.C. region, the weather will not be the best day or night due to a forecast of partly cloudy skies, so we will just have to see what Mother Nature produces. Bottom line is: Check the forecast and the skies.
An eclipsed star
For those outside the narrow band of totality for the solar eclipse, which includes the D.C. area, a partial solar eclipse will be widely visible . In the D.C. area, this partial solar eclipse will have a very slight eclipse of the sun obscuring only about 4% of the sun.
Given the weather and the very small 鈥渂ite鈥� out of the sun, I highly recommend that you for the total solar eclipse.
I will be watching and here is the broadcast schedule on Wednesday:
- 1:15 p.m.: Eclipse broadcast begins
- 1:45 p.m.: Totality begins in Iceland
- 2:28 p.m.: Totality begins in Spain
Eye safety first
You must adhere to solar eclipse viewing safety requirements, camera or optical viewing aid.
If you are viewing the eclipse with others, especially children, make sure they do so according to the following: If you plan on wearing , using a solar filter for your camera/smartphone and/or any kind of you need to ensure you purchased them from a reputable supplier.
In 2017 and 2024, there were solar filter/viewer products that did not meet the strict ISO standard and
For tips on photographing the eclipse, . If you want to use your smartphone, I highly recommend using. I beta tested it and it worked like a charm with great results.
Falling stars
The year鈥檚 best meteor shower, the Perseids, is happening now with the peak predicted to occur Wednesday night into Thursday morning. With the moon out of the sky, an observer with a good (dark and unobscured) location could see 60-100 meteors 鈥� falling stars 鈥� an hour.
Each year at this time, our planet encounters a debris stream of cometary dust made by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the earth moves in its orbit around the Sun, it collides with this debris stream and the cometary debris particles hit our atmosphere to become 鈥渟hooting” or falling stars.
Traveling at 37 miles per second (133,000 miles per hour) these cometary bits hit the atmosphere 50 miles up and superheat the atmosphere white hot, which is what we see. Usually the size of a grain of sand, they can also be as big as a pebble or a little larger.
Speed plus size makes for a lot of 鈥渙ohhs and aahhhs鈥� while we watch the Perseids through the night.
Research by NASA has determined that of the dozen or so annual meteor showers, the Perseids produce the largest number of fireballs or meteors that are as bright or brighter than the planet Venus.
The D.C. area has a truly perfect location to watch this 鈥渇un for the whole family鈥� celestial spectacle 鈥� our very own
Delaware North, SNP鈥檚 park concessionaire, will be hosting two sky events Wednesday night. Starting at 9 p.m. I will be presenting At 10 p.m. Charlottesville Astronomical Society鈥檚 will take place, weather permitting.
if you want to make a full day and night of it.
If you can鈥檛 make it up to Shenandoah, try to find an area that is free of trees, buildings and bright lights. If you are a city dweller, you still may see the brightest Perseids as long as you are not staring into a street light or nestled in among tall buildings.
The view of the Perseids is worth it from the suburbs as long as lights and obstructions are minimized as best you can. Try to find the best place where you can put down a lounge chair or blanket to see the sky.
Starting at 11 p.m. in the northeast, the constellation for which this meteor shower is named, Perseus, hangs low above the horizon and will rise higher as the night progresses. A meteor that is part of the shower can be traced back to Perseus. Sporadic meteors that are not part of the shower can be seen during the night as well.
The shower should improve after midnight and Perseids can appear anywhere in the sky, but looking straight up gives you the widest viewing area 鈥� this is where the lounge chair or blanket comes in handy.
If weather or viewing conditions make it unlikely to observe the meteor shower, you can still do so by a very novel and cool means.
As I write this, I am listening to meteor radar 鈥� yes, radar that scans for incoming meteors as well as satellites and space debris. It is a fascinating way to monitor a meteor shower like the Perseids.
Essentially, the louder a ping is, the brighter the meteor would be in the sky.
You can listen during the day and night, so 聽to listen in just like you would go out to watch.
Enjoy Wednesday鈥檚 astronomical doubleheader with family, friends or your significant other. Some food and beverages are an added plus. Be sure to have bug repellent and extra clothing as it can get cool at night.
Oh, and check out our 鈥淓yes to the Skies鈥� for August. Next up is a very deep partial eclipse of the moon Aug. 27-28.
Follow Greg Redfern on聽his聽聽to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 黑料不打烊. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
