Photo: Ren Junchuan/Xinhua via Getty

Photomontage taken on Aug. 13, 2021 shows the night sky during the Perseid Meteor Shower above an ecological demonstration zone of Engebei in Kubuqi Desert, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Greetings earthlings!

It’s time to point your eyes to the sky once again because the Perseid meteor shower is upon us, which according toNASAis considered “the best meteor shower of the year.”

Not only do the shooting stars produce approximately 50 to 100 meteors per hour, but the super fast, bright balls leave “wakes” of light and color in their trail as they streak across Earth’s atmosphere.

The Perseids are also known for their fireballs, making the stars appear brighter and faster compared to the average meteor streak due to its derivation from larger particles of cometary material.

Like all meteor showers, the fiery stars originate from their parent comet — and for the Perseids, that would be Comet Swift-Tuttle. The showers produce an incredible starry spectacle when they reach their peak.

From when they will peak to how to watch, here’s everything to know about the 2023 Perseid meteor shower.

When does the Perseid meteor shower peak?

Bill Ingalls/ NASA via Getty

In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

This year, the Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak around pre-dawn hours on Aug. 13, featuring the greatest number of meteors on display. The evening prior on Aug. 12, the source of the meteorswill lie close to the northern horizonmaking them difficult to spot in the night sky.

Stargazers, though, will have multiple chances to catch a glimpse of the starry spectacle. The Perseids started on July 14 and will remain active through Sept. 1, giving onlookers several opportunities to spot the shooting stars.

For prime views, it’s best to look up at the sky on a crystal-clear night away from any light pollution, allowing for the stars to really pop.

When to watch the Perseid meteor shower?

Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty

n this NASA handout, a 30 second exposure of a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower August 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth’s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

While watching the shower at its peak is expected to grant stargazers the most meteors,EarthSky.comsuggests looking up from late evening until early dawn at the beginning of August for the Perseids.

“Also note that the Perseids strengthen in number as late night deepens into the wee hours of the morning,” the space outlet reports. “Watch on multiple mornings, until the waxing moon – brighter each night, and up for more hours – drives you back inside.”

Viewers can expect to catch a meteor “every minute or two during the peak hours – and they move quickly!” Baskill toldScience Focus Magazine.

Where does the Perseid meteor shower appear in the sky?

Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty

The Perseid meteor shower is seen over a mountain range in Korla, Xinjiang Province, China, in the early hours of August 13, 2021.

Like all meteor showers, they appear to shoot from their radiant — the point in the sky from which the stars seem to come from. Typically, they fly high near their corresponding constellation. For the Perseids, that star cluster is known as the Perseus constellation, which “follows the brighter and more distinctive constellation Cassiopeia,” perSpace.com.

Before you go and invest in a star map, meteor showers most often can be viewed all over the night sky, despite appearing to radiate from their corresponding constellation.

What meteor shower comes after the Perseids?

getty

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source: people.com