Best Way, Time to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower

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 moonlight won't interfere with the view of the dashing meteors.

It's on a Saturday night, which means viewers 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!  

Where to view: You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot. Many local parks have rules barring entry after dusk. If you don't want to risk a run-in with the law, try heading to the roof of the parking garage at the corner of Cutter Mill Road and Gussack Plaza. If you don't mind a little rule breaking, you can try:

• The baseball field at

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather in Nassau, so far, is predicted to be partly cloudy, so you should have a good view.
• The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
• The shower began on July 23 and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
• Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteoroids 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.