Get Ready for a Light Show

(NEWSER) - Comet debris will light up the sky tomorrow night and Monday morning with shooting stars as Earth passes through the Perseid meteor shower. For the best view, pick a dark spot away from city lights and look east, says the Discovery Channel. "It's going to be a great show," a NASA expert advises. The showers will start around 9 PM EDT tomorrow night and peak at 2 AM Monday morning. More»

Moon likely to obscure comet dust

(NEWSER) - The annual Orionid meteor shower will peak just before dawn on Friday and Saturday this week —although the sight won't be as amazing in years past, astronomers say. The meteor shower—caused by Earth passing through a cloud of dust left behind by Halley's comet—will be hard to spot because of the large, waning crescent moon, experts say, but people who happen to be up at around 5 am either day might catch a glimpse, especially if they live away from city lights. More»

International Space Station is flying by, too

(NEWSER) - Light show! The Perseid meteor shower is back, and peak viewing will be overnight tonight and into the predawn hours of tomorrow, reports Space.com . Drawback: A full moon will probably dim this year's show. Bonus to make up for that drawback: The International Space Station also should be visible over the next week before dawn. For specifics in particular areas, see NASA's Human Space Flight site . More»

Up to 80 meteors per minute to whiz past Earth

(NEWSER) - The Geminid meteor shower reaches its climax after midnight tonight, with the exact peak coming at 6am Eastern. Anyone living on planet Earth and away from light pollution should be able to see the show, LiveScience reports. The Geminids will produce more than 80 meteors a minute, so the naked human eye should be able to see about a meteor every minute. More»

Annual Perseid shower should be dazzling

(NEWSER) - Your local weather permitting, the annual Perseid meteor shower should light up the skies in the wee hours tonight, reports the Christian Science Monitor . The usual caveats apply—like the further you can get from the lights of the big city, the better your show. Best bet is to start checking after midnight, but for specifics, the CSM points to this nifty tool from NASA in which you can plug in the biggest nearby city for peak viewing times. And if you miss tonight, try again tomorrow night. More»