CLEVELAND, Ohio — There’s still time to catch the Perseid meteor shower, with darker skies now offering better viewing than during its moonlit peak.

Stargazers who head out between now and Aug. 23 will have a clearer chance to enjoy one of the brightest meteor showers of the year. That’s thanks to a waning moon, which will provide darker skies and make the shooting stars easier to spot.

In contrast, when the Perseids peaked Aug. 12 into Aug. 13, the moon was 84% full and washed out much of the display. Instead of the typical 50-to-100 shooting stars per hour, only 10 to 20 meteors were visible per hour.

Between now and Aug. 23, the moon will continue to wane in the Northern Hemisphere. It will shrink to 15% illumination overnight Monday into Tuesday, according to timeanddate.com. By early Saturday morning, it will be a new moon, meaning it will be nearly dark.

What is the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is visible annually from mid-July to late August.

The Perseids result from Earth passing through bits of ice and rock left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed close to Earth in 1992.

A typical Perseid meteoroid moves at 37 miles per second when it hits Earth’s atmosphere. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long “wakes” of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA.

The Perseids also are known for their fireballs, which originate from larger particles of cometary material and are brighter than other meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.

Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate. From Earth’s perspective, the Perseids’ appears to come from the direction of the Northern Hemisphere constellation Perseus.

How to view Perseid meteor shower

The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours before the sun rises, though at times it is possible to view them as early as 10 p.m.

Viewing a meteor shower is easy. All you need to catch the show is darkness, somewhere comfortable to sit and a bit of patience. Binoculars and telescopes aren’t needed since you’ll want the widest view of the sky possible.

The Perseids have the bonus of occurring during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning you won’t have to bundle up when venturing out.

To best see the Perseids, go to the darkest possible location with an unobstructed view of the sky. Then, just lean back and relax. Get away from as much light pollution as possible and be sure to allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

Although meteors can come from any direction, you’ll want to generally orient yourself to look to the north toward the Perseus constellation. Though Perseus isn’t the easiest to find, it conveniently follows the brighter and more distinctive constellation Cassiopeia across the night sky.

NE Ohio weather forecast for Perseid meteor shower

The weather in Northeast Ohio will be somewhat cooperative to give skywatchers a chance to see the Perseid meteor shower before it ends Aug. 23.

High pressure will be in charge Monday night, allowing for clear skies overhead, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

By Tuesday evening, an area of low pressure will bring cloudy skies to the area along with a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Unsettled weather is expected to stick around into Wednesday as a cold front moves through the region. That will make for partly cloudy skies Wednesday night.

High pressure will build back in for the end of the week, providing clear skies both Thursday and Friday nights.

Overnight low temperatures will start the week in the low to mid 60s on Monday, will be just shy of 70 degrees both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and then will be closer to the mid 60s on Thursday and Friday nights.

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