Perseid Meteor Shower: Start Time and Tips

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.

The Perseid Meteor shower peaks on Aug. 11. 

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

I really believe this will be the meteor shower event for a while. That being said, here are some fun trivia facts about this weekend's event - 

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Sunday.
• The weather in Teaneck, 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 georges@patch.com.

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