Meteor shower tonight should be enhanced by clear weather

The Perseid meteor shower starts tonight and continues into Thursday morning, according to NASA.

The meteor is the flash of light you see from debris burning up as it enters the atmosphere, not the debris itself.

Since the skies are expected to clear on Tuesday night, you will be able to view meteors all this week.

Remote outdoor areas are the best places for watching meteor showers, such as Leasburg Dam State Park, where Richins will be going to watch the Perseids.

The Perseids show up every year when the Earth passes through debris – mostly ice and dust bits – left over from the Swift-Tuttle comet.

Skywatchers can catch the Perseid meteor shower in one of its brightest displays in years thanks to a coinciding new moon.

Probably the best part about this shower is that it’s summer. And they could be even more brilliant than usual, thanks to some good timing.

“These shooting stars can be seen anywhere in the sky”, Fraknoi said.

If you want a better view, get your telescope out.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will host a live Ustream broadcast about the Perseid meteor shower on Wednesday, August 12. Try to keep your gaze on the sky for as long as possible, many people have missed that flawless meteor when they looked away.

The peak dates to see the phenomenon are between the 12-13 August when up to 100 meteors an hour can be seen.

The meteor shower is composed of particles released from Comet 109/Swift-Tuttle during its many trips to the inner solar system, a region comprising terrestrial planets and asteroids. The meteors will appear to originate near the constellation Perseus in the northeast, but they’ll streak across the sky. There will also be a lack of moonlight, so that won’t interfere with your meteor show.