5 Things To Know About The 2015 Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

You’ll have the opportunity to see one of the biggest meteor showers of the year on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

The Perseid meteor shower hits its peak August 12 and 13 and should be appointment viewing for astronomy nerds and curious observers alike.

Here are five things you need to know.

1. How do I see it?

Perseids will appear to originate from the Perseus constellation, which will be in the Northeastern sky for the United States.

Find a safe, but somewhat remote area with as little light pollution as possible. Give your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark sky, and try to avoid the bright light of a phone or other device.

After that, just look up. At its peak, Perseids could produce up to 100 meteors per hour streaking across the sky.

2. When do I see it?

The shower peaks on August 12 and 13, so try to make it out one or both nights.

Earthsky.org says the best time for viewing is after midnight, when the meteors will pick up steam until the “wee hours before dawn.”

• SEE ALSO: Perseid Meteor Shower 2015 Gearing Up for Aug. 12-13 Peak

3. Do I need special equipment?

Not at all. In fact, a telescope or pair of binoculars works against you when trying to spot meteors.

Those tools limit your viewing to a very small portion of the sky, while the meteors will appear from all different directions.

4. What is a meteor shower?

As comets orbit the sun, they leave behind a trail of rock and dust. When the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet, those pieces enter its atmosphere and burn up, creating beautiful streaks across the sky.

Don’t worry, the rocks are small and burn up completely upon entry, so they don’t pose any sort of threat to Earth.

5. When will the next meteor shower be?

If you can’t make it out to see Perseids, you’ll have three more opportunities before the end of the year.

According to StarDate, Orionids peaks on October 21, Leonids on November 17 and Geminids on December 13.

You can watch a livestream of the meteor shower Wednesday night via NASA here:

Photo credit: NASA