Why this year’s Perseid meteor shower will be one to watch
If you can get away from light pollution and hazy skies, the dark moonless night should provide near-perfect viewing conditions at peak. Here are when and where to see it.
One of the year’s most dazzling meteor showers—the Perseids—is set to reach its peak on August 12. In many places, the skies that night could be ideal for catching hundreds of falling stars.
When viewing conditions are good, Perseid-watchers can expect to see as many as 30 to 100 meteors blazing overhead each hour.
“The most important thing for observing meteor showers—besides getting the day and time right—is ensuring that you have the absolute darkest sky that you can,” says Edward Murphy, an astronomer at the University of Virginia. “There are really two things that play into that. One is light pollution, and one is what the moon is doing.”
In any year, the celestial
