It’s summer skywatching at its best: The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak this weekend and experts say this year’s display is not to be missed.
The Perseid meteor shower is typically the most impressive of the year because it can produce the highest rate of shooting stars in the night sky. This year’s peak could be even more dazzling because there won’t be a bright moon to spoil the show, said Diana Hannikainen, an editor at Sky & Telescope, a monthly magazine about science and amateur astronomy.
“It’s a very good year,” she said. “We have a waning crescent moon that rises well after midnight, in the wee hours of dawn, which means that the sky will be very dark, provided you’re away from light pollution.”
The Perseid meteor shower happens annually from around mid-July to late August, and this year’s peak occurs Saturday night into Sunday morning. Weather permitting, Hannikainen said skywatchers could see around 60 meteors per hour — and up to 90 meteors per hour in some of the darkest locations.
“That’s why the Perseids are one of the better meteor showers, because they are so prolific if you’re in a nice dark spot,” she said.
Please think about donating below.