Perseid Meteor Showers (August 10 annually)

from Astronomical Feature Story at USA TODAY dot-com: Aug. 10 brings the start of the "Old Faithful" of meteor showers, the Perseids, as well as a super moon. The prolific Perseids show up once a year, in August, filling the night sky with as many as 80 shooting stars an hour. This year's show coincides with the arrival of a super moon, which occurs when the Earth and moon are at their closest. Super moons bring with them 30% more light. That's a problem as it makes the meteors less visible. Still, the two events together make this a good few days to spend some time outside at night, says Ben Burress, an astronomer with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. The shower's peak will come in the hours before dawn Aug. 11-13, Burress says. Look in the constellation Perseus, which is just to the left of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters constellation, in the northeastern portion of the sky. Normally, a bright moon would dim the visibility of meteors, but the Perseids have bright meteors, so "it's not a complete washout," Burress says. "But it won't be nearly as good as it would if the moon wasn't up."