Meteors from this shower occur when the Earth passes through the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. Typically there is about 80 meteors per hour from the Perseids.
Occasionally there will be an outburst of meteors like the one last year which can double the total meteors per hour during the shower's peak. Meteors from the Perseid shower radiate from the constellation Perseus which is in the northeastern sky. You can see these meteors though across the entire night sky.
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The peak for the shower this year will be the night of August 12-13. The moon on that night will be three quarters full which will create some brightness to the night sky since the moonrise in Dayton at that time is around 11:30 p.m
Still, the brightest meteors will be visible and since this is a summer shower, the mild nights should give you a good reason to get outside.
Some tips for viewing:
- Give your eyes about an hour to adjust to the darkness
- Lay out in a wide open space with a large view of the sky
- Avoid watching near city lights
- Be patient
IF you catch any meteors, share your photos using the hashtag #SkyWitness7. You can see the latest on meteor showers and the upcoming solar eclipse on our SkyWitness7 page.