Planet Parade Joins Perseid Peak

The sky is apparently booking a very busy week.

The Perseid meteor shower hits its peak overnight Wednesday into Thursday, and this year the moon is finally choosing not to steal the spotlight. With a new moon keeping things nice and dark, you could see anywhere from 30 to 100 meteors an hour—depending on how far you get from city lights and how cooperative the clouds decide to be.

Those “shooting stars” are tiny bits of comet Swift-Tuttle burning up as Earth plows through its leftover space crumbs. Very dramatic. Very efficient.

Best bet: head outside after midnight, look generally north, put the phone away, and give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust. Perseus is the constellation they’ll appear to zip out of, but honestly, just find a comfy spot and look up.

And because apparently one celestial event wasn’t enough, six planets will also line up before sunrise Wednesday morning. You’ll need a telescope to catch them all—because the universe does enjoy making you work for it.

Photo by Michał Mancewicz on Unsplash
Sources:  The Guardian and starwalk.space