Summer Nights Just Got Brighter! Catch the Dazzling Perseid Shower

Man, it's been hot in Texarkana. I think we can all use a shower. No, not that kind of shower, the Perseid meteor shower is about to throw a celestial party in the night sky beginning on July 17 through August 24, and you have an invitation. There will be plenty of opportunities to observe this natural phenomenon that Mother Nature gives us every year.

When Is The Perseid Meteor Shower?

However, the peak of the meteor shower will occur near a full moon on August 12-13, and the light of the full moon may affect seeing the faint meteors. You should still be able to view the brighter streaking meteors and fireballs overnight with no problem.

Keep in mind that viewing the Perseid shower is best with less light; the darker the sky, the better the experience. Perseid meteors are some of the brightest of the constellation and are known for leaving a long, colorful trail.

Where Do Perseid Meteors Come From?

It's believed they come from the constellation Perseus, and stargazers could see up to 100 meteors per hour anywhere in the night sky. Most meteors are made up of pieces of cosmic dust and are about the size of a grain of sand.

According to the Natural History Museum, during its peak, the meteors pass through the densest part of the debris field when Earth passes through streams of tiny pieces of rock and ice left over by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which passed close to Earth in 1992, as Mr. Spock would say, Fascinating!

The website Space.com reports Earth could experience a potential Perseid Meteor Storm in the year 2028.

For better viewing options, try using binoculars or a telescope, but it may take a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to the night sky. So, look up starting July 17, and you may see a ton of meteors streaking by, or is that Superman?