If You're Up Late This Week, the Sky Has a Treat

A familiar traveler has returned, and it should make for some nice sky-watching this week. The Perseid meteor shower peaks Tuesday and Wednesday nights, reports CNET. For the best viewing, NASA recommends getting outside around 2am local time, and it says the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday in particular will be best. With the Perseids, there's no need for special equipment or figuring out which part of the sky to watch. Just look up, preferably in an area free of light pollution.

And if 2am is daunting, you should still be able to catch a few at 9pm or so. It's just that the show will be better later, though it tapers off at moonrise. (Check local moonrise times here.) On a related note, you can continue looking for meteors after the peak days, notes EarthSky.org; they should be visible for another 10 days or so beyond that. NASA has one more tip: Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, which takes about 30 minutes. And, yes, that would mean not looking at your phone. (More Perseids stories.)