Get ready for one of the best meteor showers of 2024 to light up the sky this weekend. The Perseid meteor shower is forecasted to peak this weekend and could put on a display of 50 to 100 meteors per hour.
The Perseid meteor shower is one the biggest meteor showers every year. The show lights up the sky between late July and mid-August. This year it is set to reach its peak on the evening of Sunday, August 11th, and before dawn on Monday, August 12th, according to NASA .
The shower is part of the debris trail from the Swift-Tuttle comet and gets its name Perseid from the constellation Perseus. This shower is known for not only the number of meteors per hour but also the brightness of the fireballs and the long-lived tails they produce.
Best time to view
The peak of the shower is set overnight Sunday into Monday morning. However, there will still be quite a show all weekend. You will need to get out of the city limits where the sky is not contaminated by light pollution. Our skies here in Southwest Florida are expected to have intermittent clouds; however, viewing should be fairly clear for most. The time that the viewing will be best will be after midnight through dawn.
Where to look
The Perseus constellation will be rising from the northeast on Sunday. This means there is a high chance for the meteors to radiate in this direction. With that in mind, this is one of the biggest showers of the year and you will likely see them in all directions. Keep a broad view to increase the chance of seeing one of the fireballs.
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