Tonight, Earth Will Slam Into a Cometary Dust Cloud (Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks)

Observing the night sky has a lot to do with location and the weather; being at the right place at the right time is one of the first things our astronomer ancestors learned.

The evening of August 11th – August 12th promises to be a stellar performance, if you’re in a location where the weather is cooperating.

The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight in the early morning hours – after the Moon sets. But don’t wait for that; the evening’s undercard features the Moon, Mars and Saturn as well.

Space.com has a nice write up on the happenings. (Oh, and that pun about stellar performances? It’s not really a pun, because all the stuff worth looking at tonight are either planets, moons or tiny grains of sand and dust. Nothing stellar about them at all.)

The Slooh Community Observatory will be featuring the Perseids if you’re unable to go outside.

For more about observing, the Perseids and other night sky happenings tonight, check out these links.

NASA

NPR – How to Watch

Space.com Picture Gallery

Astronomy.com