Neat! Here come the Perseids! It's one of the best meteor showers of the year. And we should have a great view of them this week.Find a dark place, away from the city lights, a few hours before dawn. Take a lawn chair or a blanket (and something to stay warm) so you can be comfortable staring at the sky for extended periods of time. Then just lie back and watch the show. When the shower peaks Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, you should see 60 to 80 meteors every hour. Yes, one or two a minute. It's cool!
The Perseids are pieces of dust burning up in the Earth's atmosphere as we pass through the debris stream of the Swift-Tuttle Comet. We hit it every August. The comet itself is long gone, but it left a trail millions of miles long.
As the dust particles hit the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up. Vaporize. We see them as streaks in the night sky.
The best concentration of "shooting stars" will be near the constellation "Perseus," (that's how they get the name "Perseids"). The easiest thing to do is just keep watching the Northeast sky between 2:00am and dawn (about 6:30 am). Try not to focus too much. Using your peripheral vision is best. You won't miss them!
They're spectacular! Enjoy!
Here is more info about the Persid Meteor Shower:
EarthSky Online
Meteor Showers Online
Sky & Telescope
Star Date Online
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