Look to the skies! Meteor shower coming soon

The brightest meteor shower of the year will reach it’s peak in the next couple of days. Some of you may have already seen some of the magic happening in our sky during the last couple of weeks. The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs every year around this time as the Earth, following its normal orbit around the Sun, intersects the orbit of dust particles left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle.

Most years it can be hard to see much of the action due to light pollution, mostly caused by the brightest object in the night sky, the Moon. This year visibility will be better than most as the moon will not be coming around until sunrise, leaving us with a rare opportunity to really take in this amazing celestial event.

Earthsky says the best time for viewing is after midnight, when the meteors will pick up steam until the “wee hours before dawn.” It will appear to originate from the constellation Perseus, which will be in the northeastern sky on the nights of the August 12 and 13.

NASA estimates that at its peak, Perseids will produce up to 100 meteors per hour streaking at 37 miles per second.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your meteor shower-watching experience:

• Find an open location away from bright city lights and other light pollution.

• Bring something comfortable to sit or lie down on and try to fill your entire peripheral vision with the night sky.

• Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. This can take up to 20 minutes and can be disrupted by looking at a bright phone or tablet screen. If you need to shine a light on something, use a flashlight with a red filter, the easiest color on your eyes.

• Be patient. Give yourself anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour, and the streaking meteors should be easily spotted against the still night sky once your eyes are fully adjusted.

• Don’t worry about using telescopes or binoculars. Those devices may actually make it harder for you to see meteors, since they only cover a small portion of the sky. You should be able to easily see the show, and more of it, with just your own two eyes.