NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility’s Visitor Center and the Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation will host the final Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series on the Virginia end of Assateague Island National Seashore on Saturday, Aug. 12 for the observation of the Perseid meteor shower.
Kim Check, the NASA Visitor Center manager, said, “The Perseid meteor shower is created when the Earth passes through the remnants of the comet Swift–Tuttle every August. We are excited to be able to have this occur during an astronomy night on the beach.”
The event will begin with an Astronomy 101 presentation at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Herbert H. Bateman Education Center Auditorium at 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 p.m. followed by night sky observations through telescopes and binoculars at the north end of the beach parking lot #1. In addition to the featured meteor shower, participants can view Jupiter, Saturn, the Milky Way Galaxy, and the Andromeda Galaxy through telescopes provided by the Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation.
The event is free and open to the public. The auditorium presentations will occur regardless of weather, however, the telescope viewing is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather. Park entrance fees apply.
This series is a collaboration between Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation, and the NASA Wallops Flight Facility’s Visitor Center.
For more information about the event or the Visitor Center, Call 757-824-1344 or visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/visitorcenter
Rebecca Hudson
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility
757-824-1339
Rebecca.s.hudson@nasa.gov