For those who don’t know, the annual Orionid meteor shower will reach its peak this week, and will hopefully offer some pretty amazing sights for anyone willing to wait it out.
According to the American Meteor Society, the peak of the Orionid meteor shower is predicted for the morning of Friday, October 21st, and the best time to see the meteors is from 1 am to dawn. The good news? You won’t have to worry about the moon being too bright or distracting, and any cloudiness in the forecast can be worked around since Orionid activity will be almost as strong the next night (October 21st/22nd).
That leaves only the city lights to worry about, and luckily, these spots take those into account. So without further ado, here are 6 great places to see the Orionid meteor shower from Vancouver this year.
Spanish Banks Park
We’re starting things off with easy-to-access options right in Vancouver. And, Spanish Banks is the perfect mixture of convenience and quality. Its location offers unobstructed views of the skies above, and it’s far enough away from downtown to mitigate some of the light pollution.
David Lam Park
Maybe you want to be in the heart of downtown- not a problem. While you’re going to have interference from the highrises around you, David Lam does offer a great vista for stargazing and meteor watching. Plus, the central location does mean a couple of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ around you, for effect.
Wreck Beach
If you’re willing to brave the stairs and the regulars, it doesn’t get much better than Wreck Beach for watching the skies. The west-facing views practically eliminate immediate distractions from Vancouver’s lights. Instead, it’s just the boats (and there are a lot fewer of them these days) to contend with.
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4 meteor showers peak over the next 4 weeks, starting with the Orionid meteor shower on Thursday night: https://t.co/Pbvb33q5QD
— AccuWeather Astronomy (@AccuAstronomy) October 17, 2022
Burnaby Mountain Park
If it’s good enough for a university observatory, it’s good enough for us. Pretty much anywhere on Burnaby Mountain will offer tremendous viewpoints, but the higher you get the better (safely). We’re lazy, so we’d probably just find a parking lot and hang out near our car.
Cypress Mountain
In addition to having one of the best viewpoints in Vancouver period, Cypress Mountain (and the road up to it) is also a great place to watch the sky. For a double-whammy, we say that you come around sunset, then hang out while the sky gets dark. Sure, it might take a few hours, but the view is worth it.
Porteau Cove
Our final point is definitely outside of the city, but deserves a spot on this list. A short drive from Vancouver gets you incredible views of the Howe Sound from directly on the water. And naturally, its distance from any nearby community makes it a prime spot for stargazing.
And that’s our roundup of some great viewing spots in Vancouver! Buckle in and get ready for one of the most beautiful stargazing events of the year, preferably with comfy blankets and a hot beverage to start your day off right.
You can learn more about the Orionid meteor shower & what to expect here. And if you’re looking for more info on stargazing in general, we think that the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has some great resources.
