‘Best meteor shower of the year’ will soon be visible in the sky: How to watch

NewsMeteors from the Perseids Meteor Shower streak across a partly cloudy sky above Inyo National Forest in Bishop, California, in 2024. Pinkish glow of aurora can be seen to the left of the image, and a bit of greenish glow is visible to the right. The Andromeda Galaxy appears at the top just to the left of center.NASA/Preston DychesBy Kayode Crown | kcrown@al.comAs a solar eclipse sweeps across parts of the United States on Aug. 12 — from Alaska to North Carolina — stargazers will also have the opportunity to witness a meteor shower. According to NASA, the Perseids meteor shower will peak in the evening of Aug. 12 into the early morning hours of Aug. 13.The shower occurs every year as Earth passes through a debris stream left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years, per the agency.“As those tiny bits of comet dust hit our atmosphere at high speed, they burn up as bright streaks of light,” NASA wrote on its website. The best view, the agency says, requires staying out late as the stars climb higher, finding a dark open spot, and giving your eyes 30 minutes to adjust.The Perseids, according to the space organization, frequently leave long “wakes” of light and color behind them, and are “considered the best meteor shower of the year.”Several things make the Perseids renowned. One is that, with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour, it is one of the most plentiful. And then there are the fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. Kayode Crown covers trending news and national stories, with a focus on money, federal benefits, military contracts, space news, collectibles and government programs that affect readers across the country. He...