It's almost time for one of the best nighttime celestial shows of the year — the Perseid meteor shower, a spectacular array of shooting stars that is expected to peak late Thursday night and early Friday morning (Aug. 11 and 12). 
 
 Even better, skywatchers don't need any special equipment to watch the Perseids, said Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. 
 
 "All you've got to do is go outside, find a nice dark spot, lie flat on your back and look up," Cooke told Live Science. "You don't want binoculars. You don't want a telescope. You just use your eyes." [Perseid Meteor Shower 2016: When, Where & How to See It] 
 
 As many stargazers know, the Perseids peak every August, when Earth runs into a trail of debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The tiny pieces of debris burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind streaks of light known as meteors, or shooting stars, according to NASA. 
 
 On a typical night, people might see about 5 meteors per hour, which is much lower than the 80 to 100 meteors per hour people usually see when the Perseids peak. 
 
 This year, however, the show will be even more stunning, with as many as 200 visible meteors per hour during its peak, from Thursday night to Friday morning, Cooke said. 
 
 "This year we expect there to be more of them because Jupiter's gravity has tugged this trail of debris closer to Earth," Cooke said. 
 
 A Perseid fireball lights up the sky above Allegheny Observatory near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Credit: NASA Meteoroid Environments Office Marshall Space Flight Center 
 
 The Perseids are named for the constellation of Perseus because they appear to come from that part of the sky, he said. But shooting-star seekers can see the meteors pretty much anywhere. Cooke offered several tips for watching the impressive meteor shower: 
 
 The Northern Hemisphere has the advantage. "It's better north of the equator, and we in North America, Europe and Russia will have the best views," Cooke said. 
 
 The key to watching the Perseids is to find a nice, dark spot. "If you're in the middle of the city, the city lights will wash out the fainter [meteors]" Cooke said. 
 
 Give your eyes about 30 to 40 minutes to get used to the dark, night sky. "Don't expect to walk outside and see Perseids," Cooke said. "You may 'dumb-luck out' and catch one, but you're not going to see them until you give your eyes a chance to darken out." 
 
 The Perseus constellation appears in the night sky at about 10 p.m. local time, but most meteors will be visible after midnight, according to Space.com, Live Science's sister site. 
 
 Don't bring binoculars or a telescope, as these will greatly reduce your field of view, Cooke said. "You want to take in as much of the sky as possible, because a meteor can appear anywhere," he said. 
 
 If you want to photograph the Perseids, bring a camera and a tripod. And then, set up your camera to take a long exposure for a duration lasting for a few seconds to a minute. If the exposure lasts for longer than a minute, you'll probably get the rotation of the stars in the photo, which might obscure one of the Perseids, Cooke said. 
 
 The Perseids will also be visible on Friday night and Saturday morning (Aug. 13), but there will be fewer meteors than there are expected to be the night before, he added. 
 
 Original article on Live Science. ||||| One of the year's best meteor showers peaks tonight — and this year's spectacle should be the best since 2009. 
 
 Astronomers have predicted an "outburst" of the annual August Perseid meteor shower this year, which means that you could see double the usual number of meteors, up to 200 per hour, or three a minute, NASA says. 
 
 Here are some tips for catching the most meteors: 
 
 The best viewing times are between 3 a.m. and dawn local time. 
 
 The moon will set around midnight, providing darker skies that will allow you to spot dimmer meteors, which translates into a lot more of them. At that point, the constellation Perseus in the northeast — where the meteors will appear to originate — will be higher in the sky, providing a larger viewing area. 
 
 Point Judith Lighthouse and the Milky Way in Rhode Island. @RachelFrank_CT @yourtake @JimCantore #perseids pic.twitter.com/nomjFTOmKR — @Grahampoo 
 
 Find somewhere dark with a view of as much of the sky as possible. 
 
 If you can, get away from urban lights (although you should be able to see some of the brightest Perseids even in the city.) 
 
 As mentioned, waiting until the moon sets will help. Ideally, you'll want to lie down in an open area such as a park or field, as the meteors will streak across the entire sky and you don't want your view blocked by trees or buildings. 
 
 Ken Tapping, an astronomer with the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, B.C., says a view of the northeast sky and the constellation Perseus can also help you "get a better context." 
 
 If you want some company, see if you can find viewing parties in your area. For example, the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is hosting one starting at 7:30 p.m. (starting with some lectures before dark). 
 
 Look early and look often. 
 
 Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. NASA recommends starting about 45 minutes early. 
 
 While the best viewing is in the dark hours before dawn, the Perseids produce lots of "fireballs" or bright meteors that are visible even when it isn't totally dark. Peter Brown, a professor with the Meteor Physics Group at Western University in London, Ont., says that around 10 p.m., shortly after sunset, brighter meteors will be visible as spectacular "grazing" meteors that travel across much of the sky and can last for many seconds. 
 
 Try again tomorrow. 
 
 If it's cloudy tonight, that doesn't mean you missed your chance. While the official peak of the meteor shower is the night of Aug. 11-12, there should still be lots of extra meteors streaking across the sky tomorrow night. In fact, some national parks such as Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Point Pelee National Park are holding their official meteor shower watching parties on Aug. 12-13. So is Gordon's Park Dark Sky Preserve on Manitoulin Island, Ont. 
 
 People have already been seeing and photographing Perseid meteors for more than a week. 
 
 Have a listen for them 
 
 If you find you really can't see any meteors because of city light or bad weather, Tapping recommends listening for them — tune an FM radio for a gap between two stations and listen to the static. 
 
 "What happens is signals from distant FM stations, not normally receivable, bounce off meteor trails," he said. "Occasionally you hear a strong burst of music or speech." 
 
 The Perseid meteor shower happens each year when Earth passes through the dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle centuries ago during its orbit around the sun. As those particles hit the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, they leave bright trails that we see as meteors. 
 
 We've observed 142 #Perseid meteors so far! Meteors = green & cyan; Comet Swift-Tuttle = purple; planets = brown. pic.twitter.com/mwVYt0FiXW — @NASA_Marshall 
 
 Normally, the Earth only catches the edge of Swift-Tuttle's trail, but about once a decade, Jupiter's and Saturn's gravity gives the trails a tug so that Earth ends up passing through areas where the dust trail is thicker. That can cause an "outburst" with more than the usual number of meteors. 
 
 "We may go through a particularly dense part of the cloud this year," says Tapping. 
 
 The 2009 outburst was similar to this year's prediction, with about double the usual meteor activity. Perseid outbursts in 1992, 1993 and 1994 were even better, with up to five or six times the usual number of visible meteors. 
 
 "Sometimes what happens is people predict a bust and it's fantastic," Tapping said. "Or people predict it's going to be fantastic and it's a bust. The only way to really check it out is to go there and look." ||||| The best fireworks visible on Earth are set off by distant comets in the night sky. This year’s Perseids, as the periodic meteor shower is called, is going to be among the best that the comet Swift-Tuttle has ever set off. 
 
 What am I watching, exactly? 
 
 A meteor shower is a celestial event caused when small particles enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. In this case, as the Earth crosses floating debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle’s previous passes, we witness the Perseid meteor shower, named after the Perseus constellation that appears to be the point of origin for the light show. 
 
 Where and when can I see it? 
 
 The Perseids have already begun. But the best viewings start tonight (Aug. 11). It doesn’t matter where on Earth you live. According to NASA, “The best way to see the Perseids is to go outside between midnight and dawn on the morning of Aug. 12. Allow about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Lie on your back and look straight up. Increased activity may also be seen on Aug. 12-13.” 
 
 NASA has a livestream, if you’re in a place that’s not good for stargazing or don’t want to venture out. 
 
 I hear it will be extra awesome this year? 
 
 Indeed, this year’s Perseids will be particularly spectacular because Jupiter’s gravity has pushed the comet’s debris towards the Earth. Instead of traveling through the edges of the comet trail, as Earth usually does, we will whizz closer the middle of it and thus see more cosmic debris burning up in the sky. On Thursday night, as many as 200 meteors per hour could be visible from Earth. That number will half every subsequent night, as we leave Swift-Tuttle’s trail behind. 
 
 “The meteors you’ll see this year are from comet flybys that occurred hundreds if not thousands of years ago,” said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office. “And they’ve traveled billions of miles before their kamikaze run into Earth’s atmosphere.” 
 
 “It scares you to the bone when you see it coming across,” Jackie Faherty, an astronomer from the American Museum of Natural History, told the New York Times. “If you get just one, it will be embedded in your vision for all time. I don’t think you forget things like this.” 
 
 Should I be worried? 
 
 Nope. Although Perseid meteors travel at the speed of 132,000 mph (212,000 kph), they burn up some 50 miles (80 km) above the Earth after reaching a temperature of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 
 However, future generations may have more to worry about. The comet that is responsible for the Perseids has been described by some astronomers as the “single most dangerous object known to humanity.” Swift-Tuttle’s orbit is 133 years, and its next closest brush with the Earth will be in 2162. It won’t get within spitting distance of the Earth again until the year 4479, when the probability of a collision is one in a million. That might seem low, but given the comet’s size—much larger than what was thought to have caused the extinction of dinosaurs—it could cause total devastation. 
 
 Enjoy the show! 
 
 Reuters/Kieran Doherty A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, southern England. 
 
 Reuters/Ognen Teofilovski A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower at a windmill farm near Bogdanci, Macedonia. 
 
 Steve Ryan/flickr under CC-BY 2.0 A long-exposure photo shows meteors in the context of stars’ movement.
– Never watched the Perseid meteor shower? This is the year to do it. Though Earth spins through the same ancient comet debris each August, Jupiter's gravity has pulled debris closer to Earth this year, meaning Earthlings will witness twice as many shooting stars as normal, or about 160 to 200 meteors per hour, reports NPR. The last time we had a meteor shower with so many meteors, known as an "outburst," was in 2009 and the next one isn't expected until 2027. How best to tune in to "the greatest fireworks show of your life," per Quartz? Simply head outside between midnight and dawn—after 3am local time is ideal—"find a nice dark spot, lie flat on your back and look up," NASA's Bill Cooke tells Live Science. And be patient. Your eyes may need 30 to 40 minutes to adjust to the dark before the meteors actually become visible, Cooke says. Avoid binoculars and telescopes, which narrow your field of view, and get away from the bright lights of cities, he adds. If you can't—or if it’s cloudy—a live stream will be available here. You can also tune your radio to a bunch of static and listen to bursts of music as "signals from distant FM stations, not normally receivable, bounce off meteor trails," an astronomer tells the CBC. Meteors will also be visible Friday night into Saturday morning, but the encore won't be nearly as impressive as Thursday's show.