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Rockville to Keep Welsh Park Open for Viewing of Perseid Meteor Shower

Normally, Rockville’s parks close at dusk, but with the annual Perseid Meteor Shower on Aug. 12-13 predicted to be one of the best in years, the city is keeping one of its biggest parks open overnight for community members to view the show. As many as 200 meteors per hour are anticipated, more than double the rate of past years.

Visitors can park at the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center parking lot, 355 Martins Lane, and walk to the adjacent Welsh Park, at the corner of Martins Lane and Mannakee Street, for the meteor viewing. The park should provide the dark skies necessary to see the shower, with the best viewing times coming between midnight and 4 a.m.

According to NASA, “The Perseids feature fast and bright meteors that frequently leave trains. Best viewing will be from after midnight to before dawn. Even though the moon phase is not the best for viewing, the 2016 shower will be an outburst, with rates double the normal levels.” Each meteor will travel about 37 miles (or 59 kilometers) per second.

Read viewing tips and learn more about meteor showers at https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/asteroids/best-meteor-showers/#.VddKHbJVhBd.

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