STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Get a front-row seat to the Perseid Meteor Shower Friday night when the Hailey Public Library hosts a free, off-site, family-friendly night sky viewing party.
Local astronomer Tim Frazier will lead the stargazing party from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12. The party will be moved to Saturday, Aug. 13, if the weather is not conducive to star watching on Friday.
It will take place at the Croy Canyon Trailhead 3.1 miles west of Hailey. To get there, turn at the traffic light on Bullion and Main streets, drive past Hop Porter Park, Mountain Human and the Rotarun turnoffs, and look for a small green street sign on the right that says "Trailhead." Turn off lights as you turn onto Trailhead Road and use parking lights to preserve night vision and park away from the telescope area to avoid kicking up dust on observers. Restrooms are available.
Stargazers can expect to see the bright full moon and Perseid meteors, while learning constellation lore. High-powered telescopes will be available to view the prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The hail of meteors typically run from mid-July to late August in the northern sky with the peak in mid-August.
“We’re lucky to enjoy some of the darkest skies in the nation,” said library programs and engagement manager Kristin Fletcher. “Each summer we have a front row seat for the Perseid Meteor Shower, which peaks on August 12 and 13.
“Some years 50-75 meteors--bits of ice and rock left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle--can be seen per hour at remote locations. It can be spectacular! This year the Perseids share centerstage with a full moon, which will be just a little brighter than a regular full moon because of its proximity to Earth. So, we’ll have two fascinating astronomical events to observe.”
Frazier has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and has published papers on eclipsing binary. He earned his MFA from the University of Florida and has work in over a dozen international collections including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
In addition to his fine art work, Frazier was the faculty sponsor for a NASA funded, high altitude balloon project for six years which launched experiments and cameras to altitudes in excess of 90,000 feet. In 2009, Frazier headed a team from Idaho State University that built an experimental capsule which was launched into space by NASA. He is also an avid telescope maker and past president of the Magic Valley Astronomical Society.
For details about Friday’s stargazing party, RSVP to kristin.fletcher@haileypubliclibrary.org.