The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to make a good showing this weekend, with little moonlight to interfere with the view. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports on how to watch.
The shower peaks on Saturday night through early Sunday morning. The most spectacular hours will be between midnight and dawn, with a thin crescent moon rising a few hours after midnight.
It’s best to watch from a location away from artificial lights.
Skywatchers can expect to see one or two meteors every minute. They’ll radiate from the constellation of Perseus in the northeast and cross every part of the sky.
The Perseid meteor shower is considered the best of the year and is active from mid-July to the first of September. It’s caused by the Earth crossing through the debris trail left by a comet. Most shooting stars are no bigger than a grain of sand.
