Skywatchers are in for a dazzling celestial spectacle tonight as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak. The display, which began last month, will continue until August 23, but NASA says the best viewing opportunities will be tonight and tomorrow, when the shower is at its most active.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseids are best seen in the pre-dawn hours, though streaks of colourful cosmic light can sometimes be spotted as early as 10 p.m. Viewers can expect anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors per hour, each one blazing across the sky at roughly 59 kilometres per second.
Every flash of light is a fragment of the 26-kilometre-wide comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes near the sun only once every 133 years. As Earth moves through the trail of debris left by the comet, tiny particles collide with our atmosphere, creating brilliant streaks of light that have captivated observers for centuries.
For those lucky enough to have clear skies, tonight offers one of nature’s most breathtaking shows — no ticket required, just a view of the heavens and a bit of patience.