Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Friday, But Watch Wednesday Morn | Wired Science | Wired.com: The Perseid meteor shower sprinkles Earth with cometary dust every year from July to August. This year the event peaks the mornings of Aug. 12 and 13 around 2 a.m. local time for northern stargazers and 6:00 a.m. for those in the southern hemisphere.
But there’s a problem: The moon is waxing, and it’s full this weekend.
Theoretically, stargazers can catch between 50 and 80 shooting stars per hour from the darkest and most remote viewing locations. The full moon, however, will rise at dusk and set near dawn through the Perseids’ peak. The bright light will obscure most cometary debris that happen to streak through Earth’s thick atmosphere as meteors.
To get the best view, plan for a very early rise tomorrow, just after the moon sets. For most stargazers, the moon will sink below the horizon around 3 a.m. local time. (Check the exact moonrise and moonset time in your location with a simple calculator.)