The Perseid meteor shower derived its name from the direction the meteors emanate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky. As Earth passes through the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle upwards of 80 meteors per hour could be seen during the Aug. 12-13 peak.
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With the Great American Eclipse fast approaching, here are a few other astronomical events you might be interested in:
Aug. 21: The Great American Eclipse. The eclipse will be viewable in Dayton starting at 1:02 p.m. and will reach its maximum coverage, nearly 90 percent, at 2:28 p.m.
Oct. 9-10: Southern Taurids meteor shower. Active Sept. 7 to Nov. 19. It is long but doesn't have an impressive peak. You could see an increased chance for fireball sightings. The shower peaks Oct. 9-10.
Oct. 21-22: Orionids meteor shower. Active Oct. 4 to Nov. 14. A typical year it can produce 20-25 meteors per hour. The shower peaks Oct. 21-22.
Nov. 10-11: Northern Taurids meteor shower. Active Oct. 19 to Dec. 10. Can be active the same time as the Southern Taurids. The shower peaks Nov. 10-11.
Nov. 13: Venus and Jupiter. Venus joins Jupiter in the eastern sky close to dawn.
Nov. 17-18: Leonids meteor shower. Active Nov. 5-30. The rates are usually about 15 meteors per hour. The shower peaks Nov. 17-18.
Dec. 13-14: Geminidas meteor shower. Active Dec. 4-16. This is a great meteor shower during the year. They can have long tails and bright colors. The showers will peak Dec. 13-14.
Dec. 21-22: Ursids meteor shower. Active Dec. 17-23. The shower usually produces five to 10 meteors per hour but an outburst can take the rate up to 25 meteors per hour. The shower peaks Dec. 21-22.
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