The Perseids — the shooting star spectacular that ramps up over the weekend and peaks early next week — produces more fireballs than any other annual meteor shower, NASA says. The Perseid meteor shower can be viewed early- to mid-August every year. Its peak this year will occur around mid-day on Aug. 12 in North America, which means the best times to view the meteors will be the early mornings of Aug. 12 and Aug. 13. The meteor rate will be highest before sunrise when the constellation Perseus, where the meteors appear to originate, is high in the sky, NASA says. The U.S. space agency recommends watching for the meteors between 10:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. local time, with the expectation that the rate of meteors will start off low and increase toward dawn. Got questions about the Perseids? Here are some answers In rural and remote areas where the sky is dark, sky watchers may be able to see more than 100 meteors or "shooting stars" per hour, although a rate of 50 to 60 is more typical.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 14:50:56 +0000
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