The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Under Moon-Free Skies August 12/13.

This annual shower has it all! It offers a consistently high rate of meteors year after year as it produces a higher percentage of bright ones than most other showers. It occurs in August when the earth’s orbit passes thru the debris left behind from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Many people take summer vacation now and the weather has favorable night time temperatures.

The shower not only produces lots of “shooting stars”, up to 100 per hour at the peak under optimal circumstances, but it does so this year with the Moon out of the sky. The best views will come in the predawn hours of Thursday morning when the shower’s radiant climbs the highest. It is more typical to see a meteor every couple of minutes or 25-30 shooting stars per hour. That may include some particularly bright ones known as Fireballs that the Perseids are known for. Well worth the wait!

You want to take in as much sky as possible. And best of all, you can observe the spectacle while lying down in a rural area away from town or city light pollution. The darker the sky, the more you will see. Who could ask for more?
Just look. No binoculars or telescope. Try leaving the shutter open on your camera with a wide angle lens mounted on a tripod with a cable or electronic shutter release. Exposure for a few minutes at a time and you may catch several in a single exposure.

The meteor shower is expected to peak at 4 a.m. on Aug. 13, although there should be an above average number of them right thru to August 20^th or so. That's because the meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through a trail of dust and debris left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle, which can be thicker in some places than others. Whether it's the peak night or not, you'll see more meteors in the early morning than the late evening. Here’s why! The geometry of the earth and the debris itself means you'll see more meteors, just as when you drive in a blizzard, you’ll see more snow hitting the front windshield of the car than the back window. Later in the night, the part of the sky where the meteors originate will also be higher overhead, giving you a better view.

Look toward Perseus and Casseiopeia

The meteors will streak across the sky at about 60 kilometres per second from near the constellation Perseus that the meteor shower is named for. For the best views of this shower, look about two-thirds of the way up from the horizon toward the northeast. Don't get tunnel vision staring at one location. Let your eyes wander so your peripheral vision can pick up faint or bright meteors that you otherwise might not see. Enjoy!