FILE - Numerous flying objects, such as airplanes and satellites, can be seen in the night sky as trails of light around the Milky Way. (Photo by Daniel Reinhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Sky watchers, get excited!
The Perseid meteor shower will peak on the night of August 12-August 13.
What makes this year’s meteor shower extra special is that the moon will be a new moon, which means visibility of the shower will be that much better – weather permitting.
Perseid meteor shower
The backstory:
The Perseid meteor shower takes place every year, typically during July and August.
This year, the shower began on July 17 and will end on August 24, according to the American Meteor Society.
When to watch
What you can do:
The best times to watch will be in the night of August 12 and early into the morning of August 13. There is also a chance to catch a few meteors in the sky on August 14, but the Perseids have a pretty steep drop-off point once the peak has passed.
Look toward the east-northeast horizon to catch a glimpse of some meteors, EarthSky.org advised.
What is a meteor shower?
Dig deeper:
As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids.
The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.
Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a "shooting star."
You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights and clear skies.
When is the next meteor shower?
What's next:
The next major meteor shower is the Orionids, which become active between October 2 through November 12, with a peak on October 23, according to the American Meteor Society.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from EarthSky.org, the American Meteor Society, The Planetary Society, and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from San Jose.