Here's how to see August 2018's Perseid meteor shower
Peak viewing will take place the night of August 12
Peak viewing will take place the night of August 12
The is one of the most popular showers among stargazers — and for good reason. tends to be one of the brightest and most active meteor showers of the entire year.
reports the meteor shower will peak on the nights of August 11 and August 12. However, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke recommends August 12 for a slightly better show.
"This year, the moon will be near new moon, it will be a crescent, which means it will set before the Perseid show gets underway after midnight," Cooke also told . "The moon is very favorable for the Perseids this year, and that'll make the Perseids probably the best shower of 2018 for people who want to go out and view it."
During the showers, you can expect to see about 60 to 70 meteors per hour, which breaks down to about one meteor per minute. Planets like Mars and Saturn will also be visible during this time, until about 4 a.m. local time for the Red Planet and 2 a.m. local time for Saturn.
The Perseids get their name from the fact that they appear to come from the constellation Perseus. The shower is caused by the Earth running into the debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which happens every August.
The last time Swift-Tuttle passed near Earth was in 1992. It will swing by again in 2126. Swift-Tuttle is so large that the Earth spends weeks inside the debris zone it left behind.
NASA recommends viewing a meteor shower from dark areas like suburbs or the countryside. It will take about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and the longer you wait outside, the more meteors you'll see. Happy skywatching!