Best viewing for the Perseid Meteor Shower

The second week of August is set to provide a spectacular viewing of the Perseid Meteor Shower.  Maybe you've already seen a few meteors skirt through the night sky, or maybe you haven't been so lucky yet.  If you haven't been so lucky just yet, tonight may be your night as peak viewing is set for August 12th and 13th.  Wednesday night we should keep a mainly clear sky, but a little more cloud cover Thursday night could obscure your viewing.

According to earthsky.org the waning crescent moon comes up before sunrise, so you're guaranteed dark skies late at night.  Best tip is to look to the northeast after midnight and before dawn.  Give yourself roughly an hour or so as you may only see a handful of meteors, but during peak viewing as many as 50 to 60 meteors per hour can be seen.  Grab a light jacket or sweatshirt if you will be heading out because temperatures are set to fall into the low 60's.  Also, try to get away from the noise of the city lights.  While you still may be able to view some, it will only be the brighter ones.  To get the full effect, you need it to be as dark as possible.