The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event. Over 100 shooting stars per minute will be visible on August 12 creating a spectacular display and will peak at around August 12.

For optimum viewing, artificial light should be kept at a minimum. Binoculars aren’t necessary, nor are telescopes.

The small meteoroids feed the atmosphere and release metallic atoms that get deposited in the mesosphere. The debris smashes into the atmosphere at speeds of around 60 km per second and burns up.

The Perseids have been observed for about 2,000 years with the earliest information on thei meteor shower having come from the Far East. The shower receives its name from the constellation Perseus.