The famous Perseid meteor shower is under way and viewing conditions this year are expected to be excellent.

The Perseids run from July 14 to September 1, 2024, with the climax occurring on the night between August 11 and August 12. While meteors can be seen on any clear night during this period, the best views will be during the peak.

The American Meteor Society notes that the peak will be around midnight on August 12. However, the peak is broad, so you’ll have an excellent chance of witnessing “shooting stars” within eight hours on either side of this time. Start your meteor-watching after nightfall on August 11.

This year’s timing is ideal. With a 43 percent-lit waxing crescent moon setting in the southwestern horizon just before midnight in the northern hemisphere, the night sky will be free from moonlight — perfect for meteor viewing.

If you haven’t made plans yet, taking Monday off and heading to a dark-sky location is a great idea. Spend a few hours gazing at the sky between 11 p.m. and dawn.

While it’s often said that the Perseids deliver up to 150 meteors per hour at their peak, more realistic expectations would be around 50 meteors per hour. That would be a fantastic show.

Meteors, or “shooting stars,” are tiny bits of rock or dust burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseid meteor shower originates from debris left by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862, according to NASA. The comet orbits the sun every 133 years.

The meteors will hit Earth’s atmosphere at about 37 miles per second, appearing to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky for those in the Northern Hemisphere. However, they can be seen anywhere in the night sky.