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Perseids: Best Meteor Viewing Tonight
Tonight will be a great chance to see the Perseid meteor shower at its peak�and the annual sky show is especially dazzling this year.
The Perseids light up the night when Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings past the sun roughly every 130 years. (See Perseids pictures.)
Perseids start streaking across the sky as early as July and continue through late August. But the meteors usually peak in mid-August, with average rates of 70 to 80 shooting stars an hour.
Powerful Perseids This Year
This year's Perseids are even showier than normal, with an expected peak rate of a hundred meteors an hour. Wednesday night through Thursday dawn offeres viewers the best chance to see the most Perseids without as much glare from the waning gibbous�or just past full�moon.
After tonight, though, the numbers of shooting stars should taper off, with a rare bright streak appearing only occasionally.08-11-10 12:48 PM
