An artist's depiction of a shooting star. Look out for meteors of all sizes during the shower this month!
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Corel Photography
Make a wish on a shooting star! It's time for the Perseid meteor shower!
News story originally written on August 8, 2002
This year's Perseid meteor shower will peak August 12th and 13th, 2002, and will be visible throughout the Northern Hemisphere where you may be able to see hundreds of meteors per hour!
When is the best time to see the meteors? Look for them in cloudless skies after two a.m. and before the sun begins to rise. They will be shooting through the northeast part of the sky. The meteors will be most noticeable to people in Europe on August 13. North Americans can see the most meteors on either August 12th or 13th.
Earlier in the evening, at 9 or 10 pm, you might be able to see Earthgrazers, meteors that streak slowly and colorfully through the atmosphere near the horizon.
Perseid meteoroids are little pieces of the comet Swift-Tuttle. This comet has a lot of dusty debris that travels with it. The grains of dust form a cloud that the Earth speeds through every year at about this time. They may be tiny, but these dust particles can make some amazingly bright streaks of colorful light through the night sky!
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