Eyes to the sky, Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend

MACON, Georgia. (41NBC/WMGT) – The total solar eclipse later this month isn’t the only spectacle in the sky. In fact, the Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend.

Perseid meteors are extremely small pieces of the Swift-Tuttle comet that also orbits the sun. The meteors show up in August when the Earth moves through a path of debris left behind the comet. The debris enters Earth’s atmosphere and bursts into flames, resulting in flashes of light across the sky. The meteors are called Perseids because they appear to fly out of the constellation Persceus.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists expect meteor rates to be up to 150 per hour this year. However, it’s likely you won’t see quite that many. The meteor shower will have to compete with an almost full moon. The moon’s brightness will wash out some of the weaker Perseids.

The best time to view the meteor shower is between midnight and dawn on August 11-13. You’ll need to set aside some time for viewing. Give yourself about 30 to 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then just lay down, look up at the sky and you should be able to spot the Perseids. For best viewing, avoid locations with light pollution.

The forecast in Middle Georgia calls for partly to mostly cloudy skies at night the next few days. If there are breaks between clouds, you may be able to see a few meteors appear. Dense clouds, though, will hinder your view of this month’s meteor shower. Be sure to follow the 41First Alert Storm Team on Facebook and Twitter for forecast updates for this astronomical event.

If you miss this weekend’s meteor shower, the next one will occur in October. The Orionids last a few weeks but the peak falls on October 21. This meteor shower will produce smaller meteor rates, only about 10-20 meteors per hour.