2012 Perseid Meteor Shower to Dazzle on Aug. 11, 12

Hey Salem, be sure to keep your eye on the skies this weekend.

According to Astronomy.com, the Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year: It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means people can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

According to weather.com we have a 60 percent chance of rain so let's keep our fingers crossed for a period of clear skies.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy.

Where in Salem wil you be watching the shower?

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather, so far, is predicted to be clear, so you should have a good view.
• The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
• The shower began on July 23, and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
• Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
• If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.    

If you snap a great photo of the shower, upload it to our pics and clips gallery.