when is a good time to see a shooting star?

Question

i have never see a shooting star before.
and i really want to see one.
i live in maryland.
will tonight be a good night to see one??
and what is the best time???
please help if u can.

Answer 1

Anytime after the sun's light has completely dissapeared. There are certain times that the earth passes through areas of debris in the solar system. These are the best time to see them.

Answer 2

You are in luck!

Every year, in its trip around the Sun, the earth passes through a sort of cloud of meteors. At this time shooting stars are much more common than any other time. They all seem to come out of one place in the sky, which is in the constellation of Perseus, so they are called the Persieds or the Persied Meteor Shower.

I say you're in luck because this shower is going on right now. It will be at its height August 12. That is the Sunday after next. If you go out on that night (or Saturday would do) very late, like 1 AM, and get away from the city, out in the country where you can see many stars, you will see shooting stars at the rate of maybe 1 or 2 a minute.

Answer 3

First off get as far from city lights as you can...the darker the better, and no moonlight either. The best time is about two hours before dawn. At that time the area of the Earth where you live has rotated such that it's moving more directly into any meteoroids in the vicinity so they'll be more likely to fall across your line of sight.

Around the 13th of this month (..August..) the Perseid meteor shower will peak and the chances are very good you'll see several meteors. From your location, watch about half way between the horizon and straight above, towards the north-northeast.

Answer 4

Hello Maryland Resident...

I live in Eastern North Carolina, but I spend half of each week in Bethesda, MD, assisting my Mother since Dad passed away.

Anyhow, there is supposed to be a major meteor shower Aug 10 - Aug 15. We are right now just seeing the edge of that shower approaching. That means that if you check outside later this evening, you may see a few meteors pass overhead. As the Aug 10 date approaches, more and more will be visable on clear nights. You do need a place where there is a minimum of local streetlights and business all night lights burning. That lighting will reduce your ability to see the weaker (smaller) meteors fly across the sky. And, believe me, I do mean "Fly", because they shoot across from one horizon to the other in a flash.

Might be cool to compare notes with you on what I see vs. what you see if you want to do that... you can Email me at
zahbudar at yahoo dot com

Answer 5

You have great timing! The Perseids meteor shower is due August 12th, and coincides with a new moon, so if the weather is clear, you'll have the best possible viewing conditions. Sunday, starting at 9pm is showtime, with frequency increasing gradually throughout the night. By dawn there may be as many as one or two a minute. Get as far from city lights as you can manage, or you won't be able to spot anything but the very brightest.

Answer 6

On Aug.10 to 12, at night

Answer 7

i seen a shooting star(apparently i live in hawaii), and to see it you don't have to be with a lot of light depending on if its really dark, you wont need light if you can see the moon in Maryland. But anyways all you have to do is just keep looking in the sky. A tip is "its much easier to see one if the sky is nice like theres no cloud in sight, and when you can see other stars...^_^".

Answer 8

Any time of night is good to see one.

You'll have more luck if you're away from the light pollution of a city.

Answer 9

Nighttime