One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year is the Perseid meteor shower, which takes place between July and August every year. This particular meteor shower is the result of the Earth passing through the path of the Swift-Tuttle comet, and the “shooting stars” that we see in the night sky are small pieces of comet debris and dust that burn up in a flash of light as they enter our atmosphere.

This year the Perseid meteor shower will be active from July 17 through August 24, with peak viewing on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13, when 100 to 150 meteors per hour could be seen. Unfortunately, the waxing gibbous moon, which will be quite bright, may interfere with your ability to see many of the meteors during the peak this year.