Smithsonian.com - Perseid Meteor Shower

You probably know that August’s annual sky show, the Perseid meteor shower, is on display this week as Earth passes through a trail of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Meteors will be lighting up the night through August 24th, but the real crescendo will take place this Friday, August 12th, in the wee hours of the morning. The shower gets its name from the Perseus constellation, the cluster of stars that it appears to be radiating from.

But you might not know that the Perseids are one of about 12 annual meteor showers that we can easily observe in our skies.

Read the full article here. (Links in the article for best viewing tips.)