Perseid Meteor Shower

If NASA says it’s the biggest meteor shower of the year, you better stay up late and grab your binoculars!

The annual Perseid meteor shower is the glittery result of Earth’s passage through a steam of debris left behind by a comet, so you should expect to see meteor rates as high as 100 per hour  – as long as you are away from light pollution and the clouds stay away.

Perseid Meteor Shower
Saturday Night August 11, 2012 – 11pm to 3am (approx)

Considered one of the best showers each year, the Perseids produces about 100 meteors per hour in 2012. Starting at mid to late evening on the nights of August 11/12 and 12/13, watch for the Perseid meteors to streak across this short summer night from late night until dawn, with only a little interference from the waning crescent moon.

Viewing Tips
1) Get away from bright lights and go to a high elevation
2) Give yourself at least 15 minutes in darkness to allow your eyes to adjust
3) The show should begin around 11pm but the best time to view the shower is around 3 a.m.

2012 Viewing Areas

• San Jose – 8:30pm – Learn about the meteor shower and then stay for the show | Calero County Park
• Coyote Lake– Midnight – Meet at the Launch Area of the park. Wear warm clothes, and bring hot drinks, Snacks, lounge chairs, and binoculars.
• San Francisco – No organized parties for the public, but find high locations away from lights like Twin Peaks or Tank Hill, or along the coast.

More than just a Meteor Shower… The planets are aligning
Jupiter, Venus and the crescent moon will make for a brilliant, three-point line in the sky, all surrounded by shooting stars just as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.

The display is expected to be best seen in the eastern skies and in the early morning hours before sunrise.

The show will get better as the weekend winds down. Early Monday, the increasingly narrowing moon will pass even closer to Venus, as Jupiter “hovers” overhead, according to NASA.

Source: LA Times