Each Summer the Persied meteor shower gives North Americans their best opportunity to view a flurry of “shooting stars”, with one appearing roughly every minute at the apex.
The Persied meteor shower peaks the night of August 12th* but activity will still be heightened a few nights before and after. This year the peak activity falls during the New Moon, which means conditions for viewing the shower will be good provided the weather cooperates.
In fact you may occasionally see a Persied meteor even now. The other night I was outside for a few minutes just checking the stars and saw a bright meteor streak by radiating from Perseus in the North East.
For more information on the Persieds and tips on how to observe the shower, check out the American Meteor Society’s viewing guide and Sky & Telescope’s article.
Clear skies!
*4:00 AM on the morning of the 13th to be precise.
-Dave
Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.