Washington: The Perseid meteor shower is set to put on a spectacular show on the nights of August 11 and 12.
According to the editors of StarDate magazine, prime viewing time begins after midnight, with the constellation Perseus in fine view in the northeast.
The waxing crescent Moon will have set by then, and will not obscure the view of any meteors.
The shower is at its peak during the daylight hours as seen from the United States, so it won`t be as impressive as in some years.
However, under dark skies, viewers may see up to a couple of dozen meteors per hour, particularly in the pre-dawn hours of August 12.
Perseid meteors appear to fall from the constellation Perseus, but they are not associated with it.
The meteors are actually leftover debris from comet Swift-Tuttle.
The Perseid meteors recur each year when Earth passes through its debris trail.
ANI