Go Play Outside: The Perseid Meteor Shower
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.11.08
It's the greatest show not on earth, the Perseid meteor shower that happens tonight and early Tuesday morning. The full moon mucks it up earlier in the evening, but sets at about 1:30 EDT. The peak is estimated to be at 1100 GMT or 7:00 AM EDT, and you might see as many as 60 meteors per hour (although I have seen more than that for short bursts)
You will be watching us pass through the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, as its dust is incinerated in our atmosphere. There are other showers that are almost as nice, but for northerners this is the only one in nice weather.
Dark skies are best, but you will see some even from a New York rooftop, they can be that bright. They will appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can show up anywhere, so forget about binoculars or telescopes, only tools required are a blanket and a pillow. ::New Scientist
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Thanks for the article. I'll be looking out. I also found some other cool tips (including booking a meteor shower flight) at tiphub.com. Check out for tips on viewing meteor showers, http://www.tiphub.com/48_Top_tips_for_viewing_meteor_showers.html including the Perseids!