The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Now Undeway — Get Ready For Meteors/Fireballs & Dazzling Shooting Stars

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  According to meteor experts, the Perseids are the best meteor shower of the year. This year during peak people should see about 60-80 meteors per hour but in outburst years (such as in 2016) the rate can be between 150-200 meteors an hour. The meteor shower’s peak will be visible both the nights of Aug. 11-12 and Aug. 12-13. On the night of Aug. 12-13 you may see the highest rate of meteors or shooting stars. Both, however, should be spectacular. Unlike most meteor showers, which have a short peak of high meteor rates, the Perseids have a very broad peak as Earth takes more than three weeks to plow through the wide trail of cometary dust from comet Swift-Tuttle. Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed nearby Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126. The Perseids appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, visible in the northeastern sky soon after sunset this time of year. Keep in mind, the Perseids are rich in fireballs, so the show should be spectacular.

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