2012 Perseid Meteor Shower to Dazzle this Weekend

Don't forget to look up Saturday night.

The Perseid meteor shower takes place primarily Aug. 11 through Sunday morning Aug. 12, and according to NASA, stargazers could see upward of 100 meteorites flash before them per hour.

According to Astronomy.com, the Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year: it will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight will interfere only slightly with your view of the meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means people can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• Mankind has looked up at the Perseids for nearly 2,000 years
• The Perseids are remnants of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun every 133 years.
• These bits of comet "ice and dust" are more than 1,000 years old
• These meteors travel 37 miles per second
• The Perseids can be seen all over the sky, but the best viewing opportunities will be across the northern hemisphere.
• Those with sharp eyes will see that the meteors radiate from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteorites are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
• If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where and how to view:

• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather, so far, is predicted to be clear, so you should have a good view.
• Avoid city lights.
• Join the NASA's Live Video/Audio Feed by clicking here. NASA will live stream the meteor shower as seen from atop the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville AL. Also experts will be online available to answer questions between 8 p.m. PDT and midnight.

Sierra Madre Stargazing

According to the Dark Sky Finder website, Sierra Madre is located right along the edge of the higher light pollution area created by the dense population of the metro Los Angeles area.

That means that while light pollution may be a problem when it comes to viewing the meteor shower, the nearby San Gabriel Mountains do mean Sierra Madre residents have some of the best chances for good celestial viewing in the Los Angeles area.

Some areas, such as Sierra Madre Canyon, have less streetlights than other areas of town. Though, the surrounding mountains can block some viewing angles.

Areas such as and will surely offer good viewing conditions, though local stargazers should check park hours before entering.

If you snap a great photo of the shower, upload it to our photo gallery!

Do you plan to watch the meteor shower? If so, where will you watch?