Perseid meteor shower peaks Tuesday night
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — One of the most popular meteor showers of the year in the northern hemisphere will make an appearance over central Indiana skies for the next few nights.
The Perseid meteor shower starts in late July, but peaks around the dates of August 11-13, where in some years, we can see up to 50-100 meteors an hour. Because of moonlight, we may only see around 10-20 per hour this year.
Viewing could start as early as 10:00 p.m., but peak activity will likely be from around 2:00 a.m. through daybreak Wednesday morning.
The Perseids are an annual meteor shower, when Earth passes through the debris field left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle.
The meteor shower is best viewed in dark spaces, away from any light pollution. If you aren’t able to catch the light show for early Wednesday morning, viewing should also be good for Thursday morning as well.
If you’re unable to sneak outside to view the show, you can catch the online stream from NASA’s meteor watch Facebook page starting at 9:00 p.m. EDT.