Early Thursday morning is the best time to see the Perseids meteor shower. The oldest and most well known meteor shower is back for it's yearly display, and viewing conditions are expected to be the best in years. Anywhere from 60 to 100 meteors per hour can be seen across the night sky, and it's relatively easy to observe. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies tonight across the Hudson Valley which should make for good viewing conditions.

Unlike last year's Perseid meteor shower, the moon is practically invisible during its peak. The best viewing for the Eastern United States will take place around 2:30 EDT Thursday, when the skies are darkest. To view the meteors, find the constellation Perseus, the shower's radiant.

Damian Allis, director of the Central New York astronomy group and NASA solar system ambassador says

The best spot is a dark spot with a distant tree line on the horizon and clear sky above you. Meteors should be more or less above you in the sky, so if it's clear above you, you can catch as many as possible.

 

The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift–Tuttle. It travels on a 133-year orbit, with it's cloud consisting of particles ejected by the comet. The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity between 9 and 14 August, depending on the location of the stream.

 

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