00:00 August brings one of the best-known annual meteor showers, the Perseids.
00:05 And this year, the stage is set for a good show as the peak night, August 12th and into
00:10 the 13th, is near the new moon.
00:13 The meteors are bits of dust, most no larger than sand grains, that originate from Comet
00:17 Swift-Tuttle.
00:19 Earth sweeps through the comet's debris trail every year about this same time, resulting
00:23 in the annual shower.
00:25 The radiant, the point in the sky where the meteors appear to originate, is toward the
00:29 northeast appearing in between the upside-down "W" of constellation Cassiopeia and bright
00:35 star Capella.
00:37 Observing the Perseids is easy, just find yourself a safe, dark spot to lie down with
00:42 your feet pointing roughly toward the northeast and look straight up.
00:46 The best time to view them is between midnight and dawn as the radiant rises higher in the
00:50 sky.
00:51 Meteor activity likely will be at its greatest in the hour preceding dawn.
00:56 The crescent moon also rises in the couple of hours before dawn, but it's only about
01:00 7% illuminated, so it shouldn't pose a significant problem for viewing the meteors.
01:05 You might also see a few meteors in the early morning hours during the week before and after
01:09 the peak.
01:09 (whooshing)
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