Perseid Meteor Shower: How to Watch in NYC

NEW YORK CITY, NY — It's that time of year again. The legendary, if perhaps overhyped, Perseid meteor shower hits peak frenzy Thursday night — or, technically, Friday morning — between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.

The meteors will be visible again the next night, but will be slightly less bright, according to AccuWeather.

Of course, that could all be derailed by a series of thunderstorms with a 50 percent chance of passing over the city Thursday and Friday nights. (Keep tabs on the NYC storm forecast here.) In case of rain, probably better to stay inside and watch the NASA live stream — embedded at the bottom of this post.

If weather does permit, though, this could be a great year to do the whole Perseid thing: NASA has predicted the Perseids will fly by at twice their normal rate in 2016, due to what scientists are calling an “outburst effect.”

In short: Every Perseid meteor is actually a tiny piece of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. These pieces disintegrate in flashes of light when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere. Usually, the Earth just grazes the edge of the Swift-Tuttle debris stream — but this year, NASA says Jupiter’s gravity will tug the debris stream closer and Earth will more or less plow through the middle of them.

A fun-killing science writer at Forbes, however, has countered that due to a greater-than-half-full moon and Swift-Tuttle's slow drift away from Earth each year, this year's show will be about the same as last.

"All told, you can expect about two-to-three meteors per minute this year at the peak of the Perseids, which should be bright," according to Forbes. However, many of these meteors "will be washed out by the bright Moon, even under otherwise dark conditions."

Still down to hunt some Perseids? Here's how.

For New Yorkers, this poses a problem. The five city boroughs are flooded with artificial light at all hours of night, and it’s tough to take a random midweek excursion out-of-city in pursuit of darker skies.

If you do, by chance, have the opportunity to leave town Thursday or Friday night, astronomers strongly advise you head out to the suburbs of New Jersey, New York, Long Island or Connecticut for ideal viewing.

But if that’s not in the cards, you’re best off finding a hidden nook of city park — or, really, any safe place isolated from ambient light — on which to lay your blanket and drink your bubbly.

In New York, moonset is expected to be 12:16 a.m. on Aug. 11 and 12:53 a.m. on Aug. 12.

Once that ebony hour hits — and given the sky isn't fully glazed in thunderclouds — we recommend heading to one of the following spots to watch Perseids come through.

1. Inwood Park (Manhattan)

Astronomer Jason Kendall heads to Inwood Park in the Inwood neighborhood (way up at the top of Manhattan) whenever he wants to see the stars. ”The Columbia Football Fields turn off their lights at about 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m., leaving the park dark,” he says on his website. “It’s a great spot to see the stars. It’s also not muddy because the hilltop is Manhattan granite.”

To get to Kendall’s secret spot, take the A Train to the last stop, “come out the stairs at the front of the train, and go up the hill alongside the church,” he advises. “This entrance is right in front of you.” (Map courtesy of our new favorite astronomer.)

2. Marine Park (Brooklyn)

Marine Park in southeast Brooklyn is a lot wetter than inland park, but it’s also further from the bright lights of Manhattan. Although the park’s Salt Marsh Nature Center won’t be hosting a special Perseid viewing party and lecture, like it did last year, you can still head to the same area on Thursday or Friday night with your favorite astronomy whiz to recreate the magic.

3. Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Park (Brooklyn)

The Amateur Astronomer’s Association chooses this spot for a monthly stargazing event. It’s even further out than Marine Park — and much harder to reach, without a car — but all the darker for it. AAA reports that the parking lot for the Community Garden is also pretty ”easy to find in the dark.”

Directions, via the AAA: Floyd Bennett Field is located just before the toll plaza for the Marine Parkway Bridge. Take the Q35 bus from the Nostrand Avenue subway station to the last stop in Brooklyn (just before the toll plaza). Exit the bus, cross Flatbush Avenue and enter the park. Approximately 1,000 feet down, there is an intersection. Make a left turn. About 2,000 feet further, on the left side, is the Community Garden.

4. Carl Schurz Park (Manhattan)

Carl Schurz Park, “partially hidden along the East River, is one of the city’s best-concealed secrets,” according to the NYC Parks Department. Like Floyd Bennett Field, it’s also among the AAA’s favorite stargazing spots: “The park has a lovely view of a lot of sky above the East River, Roosevelt Island, Queens, and the Queensborough and Triborough bridges,” says the astronomy org.

It’s also super dog-friendly, in case your beast friend is into meteors. “Two dog runs offer plenty of space for pups to run around and mingle,” according to the city.

5. Your Rooftop — or Living Room

If trudging through marshlands and dog poop at 4 a.m. is not for you, though, opt for the comfort of your own rooftop. "The darkest spot is a great option, but a not as dark spot with a huge swath of sky that you can see is better," Jackie Faherty, a research associate in the Museum’s Department of Astrophysics, tells Gothamist. "I usually recommend rooftops for city dwellers."

You can also tune in to NASA’s all-night livestream of the Perseid Meteor Shower, beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday, from your bed, couch, kitchen floor etc. That’s the beauty of the internet! Ustream player embedded below.

Lead photo by John Fowler/Flickr