How To Spot Perseid Meteor Shower, A Light Show That Promises To Dazzle

The annual Perseid meteor shower, a celestial event that dazzles observers in the Northern Hemisphere, is set to return this summer. The peak of this meteor shower is expected on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, coinciding with a total solar eclipse visible in Spain, Iceland, and Greenland, as well as a parade of six planets.

Under ideal conditions, up to 50 to 100 meteors per hour could be seen, according to NASA. The American Meteor Society estimates a slightly lower count of 30 to 50 meteors per hour, particularly in rural areas.

Meteors are essentially streaks of light produced when debris from comets or asteroids collides with Earth's atmosphere at incredibly high speeds. The Perseids are debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years and won't return until 2125. People have been observing this meteor shower for over 2,000 years. The Perseids are favored due to their bright fireballs and the fact that summer temperatures make it an appealing time to view meteors.

During the peak, the moon will be in its new moon phase, which enhances viewing conditions by eliminating moonlight. Astronomer Aparna Venkatesan from the University of San Francisco notes that "new moon means we don’t have moonlight flooding the sky, and you tend to see way more meteors as a result." To observe the meteors, head outside after dark, away from clouds and city lights. Astronomer Zach Vanderbosch from McDonald Observatory in Texas advises driving to the Sierra Nevada for the best view.

The best time to watch the meteors is between midnight and dawn, when the constellation Perseus is high in the northern sky. Meteors will appear to radiate from this constellation. Allow your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness before starting to look up. Vanderbosch recommends focusing on a patch of sky until a quick, bright streak passes by, even in your peripheral vision, and avoiding looking at your phone.