Perseid Meteor Shower

It’s that time of year again where the Perseid meteor shower litters the sky with its amazing show. Each year around this time, our planet crosses the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle. The debris from this comet is what causes the amazing show in the sky. Meteors travel into Earth’s upper-atmosphere at around 130,000 mph.

The Perseid meteor shower will peak between August 11th and 14th. But August 13th is expected to be the best night for viewing because the moon will be rising right around sunrise, meaning the sky will be the darkest it can be during the night. On a clear and perfectly dark night, 50 meteors can be seen each hour. This year we got lucky with the moon phases and times of moonrise and moonset.

And you don’t have to wait until the peak to view the show. Just simply look up at night over the next couple of weeks. Be sure to find a dark spot with limited light pollution. Tonight will be cloudy overall, but it looks like the rest of the week will have nice weather just in time for the peak viewing.

Enjoy the show!

-Daniel