The Perseid meteor shower promises to be the most spectacular in years as it peaks late tonight through dawn tomorrow. The shower that appears to emanate from the constellation Perseus—the source of its name—typically delivers 50 to 100 shooting stars per hour. They are some of the brightest meteors you’ll see all year long, and viewing conditions are expected to be almost ideal. The moon is a tiny sliver of a crescent and for most of the night, it won’t be visible at all. Prospects for the best viewing in perhaps eight years are spurring star lovers and aspiring astronomers to make plans to drive to our desert tonight, somewhere away from the glow of city lights. According to NASA, the best time to watch the Perseids is about 1 a.m., which means you’ll have to either stay up late or wake up early to catch it. “Look towards the familiar constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus in the northeast,” NASA instructs us. “They rise soon after sunset, but you’ll want to wait til they are higher in the sky to see the most meteors.” NASA says the meteor shower will be at its peak on both on August 12 and August 13, so you have two nights to see them at their brightest.
