Every August, the night sky is peppered with little bits of comet debris in what we call the annual Perseid meteor shower . In 2017, the Perseids will peak on Aug. 12 (best showing the night of Aug. 11-12, but also high rates Aug. 12-13), with 40-50 meteors per hour possible for observers with clear, dark skies, according to NASA. The Perseids are bits of the comet Swift-Tuttle and often create the most amazing meteor shower of the year, although this year its splendor will be dampened slightly by a bright moon.
Check out our Perseid meteor shower guide here.
Here are 10 cool facts you can use to impress friends and family late at night or early in the morning while watching for shooting stars:
FIRST STOP: Perseids are FAST
This countdown was last updated July 31, 2017
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