Visit these 5 designated dark sky parks to watch Perseid meteor shower in Virginia

Anna Chen

4 months ago

FILE - In this long exposure photo, a streak appears in the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower at the Guadarrama mountains, near Madrid, in the early hours of Aug. 12, 2016. The best viewing for the annual shower visible around the world will be from Saturday night, Aug. 12, 2023, local time, into early Sunday morning, when viewers might be able to spot a meteor per minute. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

VIRGINIA (DC News Now) — Do you enjoy stargazing or just need some weekend plans?

The Perseid meteor shower could be visible now through Aug. 24 and you can get a good view at five parks in Virginia which were designated as International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

These five parks were designated as International Dark Sky:

Staunton River State Park in Scottsburg (designated in 2015)
James River State Park in Gladstone (designated in 2019)
Rappahannock County Park in Washington (designated in 2019)
Natural Bridge State Park in Natural Bridge (designated in 2021)
Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane (designated in 2021)

All of these parks have established an outdoor lighting policy that minimizes light pollution. And the nearby communities follow these establishments so guests can enjoy stargazing at the parks.

The estimated peak for the Perseid meteor shower is from Aug. 11 to Aug. 12.

For more information about the parks, click here.