Perseid Peaks on August 12th

[Kasun Somaratne]

Meteors are one of the many facinating things about the night sky. But for city dwellers like us spoting a meteor can be a challenge. What better chance is there to see a meteor than in a meteor shower! The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th.

According to Bill Cooke at NASA, the best time to view the meteor shower is in the dark hours before dawn on August 12th. If the sky around your area is clear and dark, chances are that you will see about one or two meteors per minute. You don't need to be looking in a specific direction to see the meteors, but the paths of most meteors you see can be traced back to a point in sky which lies in the Constellation known as Perseus(hence the name Perseid). Even if you had to stay up late or wake up early, the sight of a bright meteor across the sky is well worth it. So enjoy this wonderful cosmic event, and bring plenty of wishes!

More information on 2008 Perseid meteor shower can be found here