Every year at this time, I hope for a monsoon break so I can observe the Perseids, particularly when the moon is out of the way as it is this year. The Perseids are predictably one of the best meteor showers of the year, often with a large number of bright meteors. The best viewing will be the night of Sunday, Aug. 12, and the early morning of Monday, Aug. 13, especially after midnight and prior to twilight at 4:13 a.m. Viewing on the prior night of Aug. 11 and morning of Aug. 12 should also be good.
During a meteor shower, most of the meteors appear to come from a point, or “radiant,” in the sky. The radiant for the Perseids is in the constellation Perseus, the mythical hero who rescued the maiden Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus. Perseids can be seen all over the sky, and it is not necessary to specifically look at Perseus to see meteors. Perseus is well above the horizon by 1 a.m.
At that time, also look toward the south to see bright red Mars and yellow/white Saturn low in the southwest getting ready to set.
As always, get a comfortable lawn chair, face it toward the east, put on insect repellent, hope for clear skies, lean back and enjoy the show with a favorite beverage.
