The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak on Aug. 12 and 13, with the moon in the perfect position to make this year's event potentially one of the most impressive displays of "shooting stars" in years.
Active from July 14 through Sept. 1, this annual display is one of the best known and commonly observed meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere. The shower occurs when the hours of darkness have noticeably increased after the short nights around late June's summer solstice, making falling bits of rocky debris in Earth's atmosphere more visible.
