The Perseid meteor shower, expected to light up the skies tonight (August 12 2010) between the hours of 8pm EST and into the early morning of tomorrow (Friday August 13), is reportedly going to be one of the greatest meteor showers of the past few years.
According to meteorologist Joe Rao “the moon, whose bright light almost totally wrecked last year’s shower, will have zero impact this year; unlike last year when it was just a few days past full, this year it will be new on Monday August 9, meaning that there will be absolutely no interference from it at all.”
This is great news for parents, kids, families, students and anyone else hoping to take in the bright lights tonight.
The Earth is expected to hit the densest part of the Perseid stream at approximately 8pm EST, which is when you should start to see the meteors fly!
Those of you hoping to see the show from a rural area (away from the distraction of the city lights) will have a great opportunity as long as the clouds hold off for the remainder of the day/night.
Those of you inside the city limits, unfortunately, won’t get a very good glimpse of the show but luckily NASA is lives streaming tonight’s events for individuals unable to see them live.
For a live chat with astronomer Bill Cooke from Nasa’s Marshall Space Flight Center – and to view the live stream of tonight’s meteor shower, go to Nasa.gov.
Recap:
When: August 11-13 (although the night of August 12 and the wee hours of the morning on August 13 are the prime hours)
What Time: August 12 7pm – August 13 2am (this is a large window but you don’t want to miss the show. To make sure you catch the show, you may have to stay up all night 
)
Where: While the meteor shower can be seen from many geographical locations around the world, the best view will be from rural areas without lights. The clearer view of the sky without distractions, the better your chances of seeing the full show.
A little preview of what to expect (photos taken from last year’s shower) can be seen below:
