Tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower Is Primed to Be Spectacular

Folks who want to catch a magnificent sky show tonight should head somewhere without light pollution between midnight and dawn, as this year’s Perseid meteor shower is expected to be thick and furious. (Conversely, people with irrational fears of being doinked on the noggin by space gravel should shelter indoors until next week.)

The perennial dusting from Comet Swift-Tuttle will peak during the early morning hours of August 12, with as many as 200 meteors per hour slashing the heavens in suitable watching conditions (read: dark). The reason for the unusual uptick in activity—about twice as many predicted meteors than during a normal year—is due to our huge, red-eyed neighbor in the frigid beyond. Jupiter exerts a gravitational pull on the comet’s particle wake, and conditions are such that the planet is now angling a particularly dense stream of dust toward Earth.