The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is sponsoring a meteor-watching party in the Eastern Panhandle during the early morning of Sunday, August 12. The event is free and anyone is welcome to attend. No pre-registration is required.

The event is timed to catch the peak of the 2012 Perseid meteor shower, which is expected to be at its height between 12 midnight and dawn that night.

The Perseid shower is usually the year’s most spectacular meteor shower, with dozens of shooting stars visible each hour.

Participants will gather from 2 to 6 a.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church’s Orchard House at Trinity Center, which is located at 4599 Shepherdstown Road (Route 45) about half way between Martinsburg and Shepherdstown. The center is surrounded by farm fields so it will offer excellent views of the night sky.

Bathrooms are available at the center and coffee will be provided.

Participants should bring their own lawn chairs or loungers, blankets, and insect repellent, and snacks if they wish. Meteors are best observed with the naked eye, so binoculars and telescopes are not recommended.

For obvious reasons, the event is contingent on the weather. It will not be held if the sky is fully obscured by cloud cover.

For more information contact Ellen Murphy at 304-676-8739 or Ellen@PotomacAudubon.org.