Best meteor shower of summer peaks starting this week

MIAMI VALLEY — The Perseid Meteor shower will peak in the early morning hours starting today through 13! This is considered one of the best meteor showers of the year since it occurs during the “dog days of summer” and produces many shooting stars on average. The shower is produced from the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle.

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The Perseid meteor shower’s radiant point is the constellation Perseus, so look to the northeastern sky after midnight.

This year, the moon will set in the evening so that will leave a dark sky during the early morning hours. The best time to view this shower is between midnight and dawn!

Clear skies aren’t in the forecast in the Miami Valley during the early morning hours of today or tomorrow, but there will be breaks in the clouds. The Perseids are an active meteor shower that can produce anywhere from 50-75 meteors per hour in a dark sky.

Tips to View

Remember to give yourself time to enjoy this shower. Head outside on the warm nights this week after midnight and before dawn.

Get a blanket or chair and look at the sky. You want to be away from city lights will a good, wide view of the night sky. Give your eyes some time to adjust and try to stay out for about an hour to look for the shooting stars!

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If the clouds won’t cooperate during the workweek, we are expecting clear skies this weekend! The shower stays active through Aug. 24.

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