Perseid Meteor Shower-2017

While August signals the end of summer vacation for students and teachers, for sky-watchers the month signals the beginning of the Perseid meteor shower. This annual event occurs when the Earth passes through the path of debris left behind by the Comet P/SwiftTuttle. The Perseids, like all meteor showers, are named for the region of the sky that the meteors seem to radiate from. The Perseids radiant is within the constellation Perseus.
The meteor shower lasts slightly longer than a month, beginning around July 17 and ending around August 24. The best times for viewing, when the maximum number of meteors should be seen (under ideal conditions), will occur after midnight, August 12^th. At this time, our position on the Earth will face directly into the "cloud" of debris.
Where should you look to find Perseus and the meteors? For those viewing from mid-northern latitudes (40-50 degrees Perseus rises during evening over the northeast horizon. By early morning, the Perseids radiant is very high, nearly overhead toward the north horizon. In addition to weather conditions, the Moon phase also affects the quality of meteor viewing. Unfortunately the Moon, at waning gibbous, rises at about the same time as Perseus, the location of the meteors, and will definitely affect the viewing of the Perseids. As a result this year will not be one of the better for seeing the Perseid meteors.