Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks In Sky Tonight

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The yearly Perseid meteor shower can be seen in the sky tonight.

According to NASA, the Perseids are often considered the best meteor shower of the year and if the night is clear, the northern hemisphere will get a good look at it throughout the night.

Starting at 11 p.m. NASA is hosting an online video chat with astronomer Bill Cooke from the Marshall Space Flight Center and answering questions until 5 a.m.

Each year, the earth passes through the debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet and bits of ice and dust burn in the atmosphere creating the shower. The Perseids appear in the direction of the constellation Perseus.


Unfortunately, a full moon tonight will wash out some of the visibility but there will still be about 20 to 30 meteors visible an hour, according to NASA.

Check out the timelapse video from the Joshua Tree National Park that was filmed last year.

Joshua Tree Under the Milky Way from Henry Jun Wah Lee on Vimeo.

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BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
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