JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For those who like observing the sky, an annual natural light show will be visible once this weekend.
That light show is the Perseid Meteor Shower and at its peak is August 11-12th. You could be able to see 50 to 60 meteors per hour!
But what creates the Perseid Meteor Shower?
Basically it is from the comet Swift-Tuttle and the dust particles that broke off the comet from the heat of the sun create a trail through Earth's orbit. So, once a year we “drive” through that trail, like a car on a highway hitting bugs and thus creating the meteor shower.
This year you will have a better chance than previous years to catch some shooting stars in our sky thanks to the New Moon being present and thus less light washing out the faint shooting stars.
For your best chance to view them be sure to travel as far away from city lights as possible and observe the sky after mid-night and before sunrise. This is because as the earth "drives through" the debris of dust it is also rotating around into the oncoming dust particles.
Always remember if you capture any photos of shooting stars or anything in the night sky, as well as anything weather related you can share your photos with us at the First Coast News Weather Watchers page or on the FCN app using the near me function.