Up to 69 meteors per hour will be visible in the sky tonight. Conditions for annual meteor showers are especially good, because they have just passed the new moon.
The annual Perseids meteor shower will peak Thursday night with 69 stars per hour. The Perseid swarm is a cloud of dust particles from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Comet dust burns up in the atmosphere, causing a barrage of falling stars.
This year will see more meteors or asteroids than other years. Since it was just a new moon, the moonlight could barely obscure the faint meteors.
Shooting stars are best seen between 3 AM and 4:30 AM looking to the northeast. Binoculars are not necessary, but it is important to find a dark spot. First, let your eyes get used to the darkness for 15 minutes and then put your smartphone away. Keep watching for at least fifteen minutes, preferably lying down, and you will be more relaxed.
Would you rather not get up in the middle of the night? No problem, even in the evening and early morning, there are more meteors to be seen.
