Perseid Meteor Shower to Dazzle Saturday Night

Get ready for an incredible performance in the night sky this weekend as the Perseid Meteor shower hits its peak. The best part? You don't need a telescope to see it.

According to Astronomy.com, the Perseid Meteor shower will occur Saturday night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors. And since it's on Saturday night, you can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

Since the sky show will be visible to the naked eye, you don't need any special equipment. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

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 the Bay Area, so far, is predicted to be mostly clear, 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 meteroids 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 to view:

• You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot. 
• The Bay Area has a lot of city lights, so the further you get from town, the better your view will be. 

Patch blogger James Nelson says the celestial event will be a great experience for families. Read his latest blog for .

If you snap a great photo of the shower, share your pictures with us!

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