Perseids Meteor Shower 2012: Peak Times, Places to Watch

People across the country and the world have been inspired by NASA's recent Mars Curiosity Rover success.

And if you were one of those people inspired, now you have the chance to get in touch with your inner space-geek. From the comfort of your back yard.

Or , like Lloyd Peterson, a 64-year-old Lakeville man who loves his astronomy. Just like the will be hanging out in the park after dark with a lawn chair and cooler of Coke Zero.

"You can't beat 80 shooting stars an hour. That's a lot of wishes," Peterson joked. "I'm out for all the celestial events, and this qualifies. So Saturday night I hope it isn't cloudy."

According to Astronomy.com, the Perseid Meteor shower will occur this weekend, and as Peterson said, peaking on Saturday night with roughly 80 "shooting starts" per hour. It also occurs 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.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy. You can even head to one of Lakeville's many parks to check out the show.

However, if you want to try to catch a glimpse at the Perseids Meteor Shower, from a more "official" place, try these:

• The University of Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics hosts "Universe in the Park" events this Friday and Saturday at state parks north and south of the metro area.

• If you're willing to get behind the wheel to see a meteor, the Onan Observatory at Baylor Regional Park in Norwood Young America, MN (about an hour from Maple Grove), will host a viewing party.

• And the Minnesota Astronomical Society lists several other facilities in the region suitable for seeing the night sky.

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Sunday.
• The weather in Montclair, 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 July 23, and will peak on Saturday night. 
• 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.   

Where to view:

• You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot.

If you snap a photo, e-mail it to derrick.williams@patch.com or upload it to the Patch Pics and Clips page.