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Perseid Meteor Shower To Bring Intense Astronomical Event To Skies Above South, Central Coasts

AMEL EMRIC
/
AP
Stars and Perseid meteor streaks are seen behind a destroyed house near Tuzla, Bosnia, in 2015.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs every summer when the Earth passes through debris released by Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Tiny debris from the comet collides with our atmosphere at tremendous speed and burns up, creating meteors. 

Bob Lunsford of the International Meteor Organization says he expects this year’s shower to be more active than usual when it peaks shortly before dawn on Friday.

Lunsford estimates that observers in the suburbs should see 30 to 40 meteors per hour while people far from city lights should see double that number.

To see the celestial fireworks, you’ll need to get up early and look towards the northeast between 3:45 and 4:45 a.m.

Other than that, you won’t need any equipment beside maybe a reclining chair.