“Perseid meteor shower close to peaking - msnbc.com” plus 1 more

Perseid meteor shower close to peaking - msnbc.com

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 04:13 PM PDT

SEATTLE - With clear conditions Thursday night, you will have a chance to see one of the most dependable meteor showers of the year - the Perseids.

The shower is already producing 25 meteors an hour. It should peak early Friday morning with rates of up to 75 meteors per hour.

University of Washington astronomers say the shower happens every August as the Earth intersects the orbit of dust particles left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

The best view of the Perseids is found away from city lights. They will likely be more visible after midnight Thursday, looking generally to the east or northeast.

Incidentally, Thursday evening just at dusk, you'll likely be able to see the planets Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mercury clustered close together in the low western sky.

The UW Astronomy Department website has more tips for viewing the Perseids: http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/balick/perseids.html

NASA has set up a live video/audio feed of the Perseids shower: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/perseids_2010.html

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