Sky watchers, get excited!

The Perseid meteor shower will peak on the night of August 12-August 13.

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What makes this year’s meteor shower extra special is that the moon will be a new moon, which means visibility of the shower will be that much better – weather permitting.

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Perseid meteor shower

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The backstory:

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The Perseid meteor shower takes place every year, typically during July and August.

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This year, the shower began on July 17 and will end on August 24, according to the American Meteor Society. 

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When to watch 

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What you can do:

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The best times to watch will be in the night of August 12 and early into the morning of August 13. There is also a chance to catch a few meteors in the sky on August 14, but the Perseids have a pretty steep drop-off point once the peak has passed.

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Look toward the east-northeast horizon to catch a glimpse of some meteors, EarthSky.org advised. 

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What is a meteor shower?

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Dig deeper:

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As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids.

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The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

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When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.

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Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”

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You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights and clear skies. 

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When is the next meteor shower? 

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What’s next:

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The next major meteor shower is the Orionids, which become active between October 2 through November 12, with a peak on October 23, according to the American Meteor Society. 

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Air and Space