Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
SPACE.com
Anyone gazing at the summer night sky for even a short length of time is likely to spot a few "shooting stars" darting across the sky.
Meteors are typically bits of material left behind by comets. They’re often no larger than sand grains, and they vaporize as they enter our atmosphere. In general, the Earth encounters richer meteoric activity during the second half of the year. Between August 3 and 15, there are a half-dozen different minor displays that are active.
The best display of the summer comes during the second week of August: the annual Perseid meteor shower. At its peak around the nights of Aug. 11 and 12, this display can produce 50 to 100 fast, bright meteors per hour.
This will be a fair-to-good year to watch for the Perseids. A bright gibbous moon, which initially will interfere with observations, will set at around 1:30 a.m., leaving the rest of the night dark for prospective meteor watchers. The only equipment you’ll need is your eyes and a modest amount of patience.
–> I hope I could see those shooting stars.. Hmm.. better prepare on that day.. ^_^
