By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The event must go on, rain or shine. The Perseid meteor shower is visible annually from mid-July to late August. With no control over the timing of Earth's movement or the weather, Kansas Wetlands Education Center Director Curtis Wolf said the facility's watch party is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 9, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., regardless of what the weather does.
"It typically peaks around Aug. 12," he said. "We try to do our activity on a Friday, so we're a few days before the peak on Aug. 9. It's a fun event for us. We've had some great response for this activity the last few years and plan to again this year."
As Earth passes through the dust and debris of the Swift-Tuttle comet, stargazers may see between 60-100 meteors per hour. KWEC provides a dark venue from which to watch, but the meteors may be visible from any place away from the lights of the city.
"Even if you're not able to come out on Friday, spend some time outside in the nighttime and look at the sky to look for the Perseid meteor shower," said Wolf. "Starting probably anywhere around now through next week, Earth is passing through all the dust and debris from the comet that had come through a long time ago."
Friday's come-and-go party will also include s'mores, straw rockets, a glow-in-the-dark comet craft, fizzing meteors, and the inflatable planetarium from Fort Hays State University. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.