The Perseid meteor shower will peak this Thursday

“Here’s something to think about: The meteors you’ll see this year are from comet flybys that occurred hundreds if not thousands of years ago”, Cooke said in a NASA news release.

The Perseid meteor shower, a dazzling annual display of “shooting stars”, peaks early Friday (Aug. 12). Under flawless conditions, we could see up to 150-200 shooting stars per hour! Typically Earth just grazes by Swift-Tuttle’s debris field, but our planet will be even closer to the particle stream this year thanks to some help from our neighbor Jupiter. As Earth moves in its orbit around the sun, it collides with this debris stream and the cometary debris particles hit our atmosphere to become “shooting” or “falling” stars.

For individuals and families looking for a reason to get out of town and get into nature, the Perseid Meteor Shower might be just the ticket.

Professor Mark Bailey, Director Emeritus of Armagh Observatory, said “The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year, and the predictions of a surge in activity this year make it particularly exciting this time”. Such Perseid outbursts have been observed before.

The meteor shower gets its name because the meteors seem to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which is found in the northeastern part of the sky. The meteors will then be directly overhead in the moonless hours before dawn. Members of the Norwich Astronomical Society on Facebook have suggested locals head to areas such as Mousehold Heath or the North Norfolk Coast for the best views.

If you’re only able to partially escape urban or suburban light, you can expect to see fewer-possibly much fewer-meteors, to the tune of one every few minutes. The characteristics of a Perseid meteor are that it is fast and bright, often leaving a trail behind it.

As I write this, I am listening to meteor radar – yes, radar – that scans for incoming meteors as well as satellites and space debris. Sporadic meteors and fireballs are more or less singular events and appear from varying places in the sky.

Before you go, here are some fun facts from NASA.

To take in the show, all a person has to do is look up, Brummel said. You’ll want to look toward the southwest.