Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks August 11-12

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The annual Perseids meteor shower will be peaking tonight (Aug 11) as shooting stars will be visible in the night sky. From around 11 PM Wednesday the 11th through the early-morning hours of August 13th, a total of 50 to 100 meteors can be seen every hour.

You don’t need any special equipment to see the meteors either, just find a wide-open sky away from bright city lights and look up! Faint Perseids appear as tiny, quick streaks. Occasional brighter ones might sail across the sky for several seconds and leave a brief train of glowing smoke.

The meteors are called Perseids because they radiate from the constellation “Perseus the Hero.” The Perseids are the result of space debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. NASA explains how “every year the earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere, and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.”

This year is expected to be a great year for viewing the Perseids because of the moon phase. The moon will be in its waxing crescent phase and only 13 percent full. This means that it won’t be very bright in the sky and, therefore, allow us to get a better look at the Perseids meteors.

Sky conditions for the next two nights should make for great viewing. Mostly clear skies with a few passing clouds and warm temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.

Happy stargazing!