Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight—How to See Perseids
A moonless night and the chance we're passing through a meteor clump make this year's Perseids extra promising, experts say.
Like clockwork every mid-August, Earth slams into a giant cloud of debris left behind each time the comet Swift-Tuttle neared the sun. (Related: "Perseid Meteor Shower to Yield 80 Meteors an Hour?" [2009])
Hitting the atmosphere at speeds of almost 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) an hour, the meteors burn up and produce streaks of light that each last just a fraction of a second.
This year the sky show will peak between 3 p.m. ET August 12 and 2 a.m. ET August 13. A very thin, waxing crescent moon will set about an hour after sunset, leaving behind a dark night sky for the Perseids. (Read about another sky show
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