One of the Best Meteor Showers Begins Tonight

SAN ANGELO, TX — One of the best meteor showers will be visible starting tonight until the end of August.

The Perseid meteor shower will be visible from tonight, July 17, until late August, with the shower peaking the night of August 12th and morning of August 13th. Conditions to view the meteor shower will start off near perfect, but won’t last long.

The shower is caused by the Earth passing through the comet Swift-Tuttle’s debris. The meteor shower will have bright, fast-moving meteors that people will be able to see. There will also be a lot of them, up to 100 per hour, with ideal conditions.

The best part of the sky to view them is in the Perseus constellation. To find Perseus, look for Cassiopeia, which has five bright stars that make a “W” in the northern hemisphere and an “M” in the southern hemisphere. Take the middle star of Cassiopeia, follow an imaginary line to the bottom star on the shallower side of the “W” and keep going until you reach Perseus.

CLICK HERE to find how to find Perseus and how the constellation got its name.

Tips for viewing the Perseid meteor shower are to get away from city lights, lie flat on your back, and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust.

The moon will be in a waxing gibbous phase, which could make it difficult to see early on during the night, but once the moon sets in the early morning hours and just before dawn, the skies will darken.

Post your photos of the Perseid meteor shower in the comments.