Coming to a Sky Near You August 8-14 [Perseid Meteors]

This year’s meteor shower should have better than normal activity, but less than optimal viewing conditions. A waning gibbous moon (about 60%) will brighten the night sky. The peak activity, up to 100 per hour, will occur in the wee hours of the morning of August 12th, but the celestial spectacle should also be visible from Wednesday's nightfall until a little before midnight when the moon rises.

Perseid meteors appear to fall from the constellation Perseus. The annual display actually comes from the meteoroid fragments of the Swift-Tuttle comet. It’s a collision of unequals. Meteoroids are smaller than an asteroid and larger than an atom.

Instructions: Away from the lights of the city, get comfortable, look up to the north-east, and don’t blink. If you decide to lie down, put a blanket between you and the hot concrete. For day by day updates, you can consult the meteorblog or visit the StarDate Online Media Center.