Perseid meteor shower to peak over central Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – One of the more popular meteor showers of the year will be taking place this weekend.
The annual Perseid Meteor shower, which peaks Sunday night, should give central Indiana quite the show, barring major weather problems.
The meteors will be visible as soon as sundown but will really be at their peak during the overnight hours. Up to 70 meteors per hour could be possible during the predawn hours of Sunday and Monday mornings. Look to the northeast sky, toward the constellation Perseus.
The Perseids appear every year as the Earth passes through the debris field of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Those pieces of debris move into the Earth’s atmosphere, burning up as it does and creating the meteor, or shooting star, that is visible to us on the surface.
The central Indiana forecast calls for rain chances through the day with partly cloudy skies at night. Not completely ideal, but there should be some breaks in the clouds at times for some decent viewing.
The next meteor shower of note is the Orionid, which takes place in the middle of October.