Meteor Shower: How to Watch it Friday

The Perseid meteor shower will sparkle across the night sky in the wee hours of Friday, and people lucky enough to live far from the glow of city lights will be able to see as many as 75 meteors an hour. Mountaintop viewing will be even better, with as many as 108 meteors an hour. The International Astronomical Union monitors 364 meteor showers, but the Perseids offer the most spectacular show. And this year’s will be above average, thanks to the new moon and the Earth passing through a more concentrated swath of dust left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. Records going back to the Middle Ages record people watching the August shower. For the best times to watch in your location, check out NASA’s Fluxtimator.