Get ready stargazers: the Perseid meteor shower peaks next week, Aug. 12-13, bringing up to 100 shooting stars per hour, along with the potential for dazzling fireballs
The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year as Earth barrels through the trail of ancient debris shed by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. These cometary fragments — often no larger than a grain of sand — collide with Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second. The resulting friction swiftly vaporizes the debris, creating the bright flashes that we see as fiery "shooting stars".
