Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight, Promises To Be A Good Show

A dazzling meteor shower, the Perseid meteor shower, will grace our skies tonight when it reaches its peak in the nighttime hours. According to Space, the best day to watch the Perseid meteor shower is on August 12 and August 13, and the best time to get the great show is around 2 a.m.

If some people who are less fortunate and have bad weather or too bright of conditions to watch the Perseid meteor shower, NASA is taking care of that for you. NASA will have a live online feed of the Perseid meteor shower beginning at 10 p.m. EDT on NASA TV. They will also be having commentary from meteor experts from four different NASA centers and the American Meteor Society.

Want to know where to see the Perseid meteor shower? If you are in North America, then the meteor shower will be seen in the northeastern sky and the best direction to look are southeast and northwest. Or you can just grab a blanket and lie on your back and watch the entire sky above you.

The reason the Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be one of the best is because it peaks just after midnight for observers, and the moon is close to being a new moon, which means it will be darker outside, and the sun won’t rise until after 5 a.m.

WRAL gave observers some tips on how to get the most out of their viewing of the Perseid meteor shower. First, you want to make sure it is as dark as it can possibly be around you, so your backyard probably won’t cut it. You need to give your eyes at least 10 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and don’t give up on the meteor shower right away — give yourself at least an hour before packing up and calling it a night. When laying down, you want to look for the constellation Cassiopeia. The best way to find this is getting a star app and using that, most of them are free on the app store. Underneath Cassiopeia, you will find the star Capella. The meteor shower will pass between those two points throughout the night. If you’re laying down looking up into the sky, you probably won’t miss them, though.

If you’re not sure where to watch the Perseid meteor shower, check with your local services. A lot of parks and communities are holding events for this meteor shower, ensuring perfect conditions to watch it.

[Photo by Ethan Miller/ Getty Images]