The Perseids are coming. Make plans for the morning of Tuesday, August 12 when the shower peaks. Stray meteors are already showing up now and will gradually increase till the shower peaks on August 12. The rate declines rapidly after that, but occasional meteors will be visible as late as August 22.
Catholics in some parts of England and Germany had long observed the Tears of St. Lawrence on the night of August 10 every year, when tears of fire fall from the sky. But it wasn't until 1837 that the Perseids were officially recognized as an annual event. The source of the shower is debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.
The best time to view the shower is after 2am. The moon will have set by then, and Perseus, the constellation from which the shower seems to originate, will be higher in the sky. You can certainly view the shower much earlier in the evening (Monday night, August 11), but you will want to block the light from the moon using a tree or a building. While some meteors can be seen from the city, it would be best to get away from city lights.
References:
The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower
The Discovery of the Perseid Meteors
Meteor Showers Online
Major Meteor Showers in 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
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