It's almost time for one of the best nighttime celestial shows of the year — the Perseid meteor shower, a spectacular array of shooting stars that is expected to peak late Thursday night and early Friday morning (Aug. 11 and 12). 
 
 Even better, skywatchers don't need any special equipment to watch the Perseids, said Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. 
 
 "All you've got to do is go outside, find a nice dark spot, lie flat on your back and look up," Cooke told Live Science. "You don't want binoculars. You don't want a telescope. You just use your eyes." [Perseid Meteor Shower 2016: When, Where & How to See It] 
 
 As many stargazers know, the Perseids peak every August, when Earth runs into a trail of debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The tiny pieces of debris burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind streaks of light known as meteors, or shooting stars, according to NASA. 
 
 On a typical night, people might see about 5 meteors per hour, which is much lower than the 80 to 100 meteors per hour people usually see when the Perseids peak. 
 
 This year, however, the show will be even more stunning, with as many as 200 visible meteors per hour during its peak, from Thursday night to Friday morning, Cooke said. 
 
 "This year we expect there to be more of them because Jupiter's gravity has tugged this trail of debris closer to Earth," Cooke said. 
 
 A Perseid fireball lights up the sky above Allegheny Observatory near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Credit: NASA Meteoroid Environments Office Marshall Space Flight Center 
 
 The Perseids are named for the constellation of Perseus because they appear to come from that part of the sky, he said. But shooting-star seekers can see the meteors pretty much anywhere. Cooke offered several tips for watching the impressive meteor shower: 
 
 The Northern Hemisphere has the advantage. "It's better north of the equator, and we in North America, Europe and Russia will have the best views," Cooke said. 
 
 The key to watching the Perseids is to find a nice, dark spot. "If you're in the middle of the city, the city lights will wash out the fainter [meteors]" Cooke said. 
 
 Give your eyes about 30 to 40 minutes to get used to the dark, night sky. "Don't expect to walk outside and see Perseids," Cooke said. "You may 'dumb-luck out' and catch one, but you're not going to see them until you give your eyes a chance to darken out." 
 
 The Perseus constellation appears in the night sky at about 10 p.m. local time, but most meteors will be visible after midnight, according to Space.com, Live Science's sister site. 
 
 Don't bring binoculars or a telescope, as these will greatly reduce your field of view, Cooke said. "You want to take in as much of the sky as possible, because a meteor can appear anywhere," he said. 
 
 If you want to photograph the Perseids, bring a camera and a tripod. And then, set up your camera to take a long exposure for a duration lasting for a few seconds to a minute. If the exposure lasts for longer than a minute, you'll probably get the rotation of the stars in the photo, which might obscure one of the Perseids, Cooke said. 
 
 The Perseids will also be visible on Friday night and Saturday morning (Aug. 13), but there will be fewer meteors than there are expected to be the night before, he added. 
 
 Original article on Live Science. ||||| There are a lot of good shows happening in Metro Vancouver this summer, but one of the best will be taking place Monday and Tuesday nights this week in the sky. 
 
 The annual Perseid meteor shower — an event that could bring as many as 100 fire balls every hour — will reach its peak overnight on Tuesday. 
 
 This could be one of the best shows in years given that the shower will coincide with a new moon for the first time since 2007. That will help lower the lights even more and make the meteors more visible. 
 
 Along with a moonless night, the weather will also be cooperate as clear skies and warm temperatures are in the forecast. 
 
 Tips for primetime viewing 
 
 Have we convinced you to spend some night time outdoors? Here are some tips for prime viewing: 
 
 Get as far away from city lights as possible. Squamish, B.C., Boundary Bay Regional Park and Abbotsford's Mcdonald Park are all well known as sky-gazing vantage points. But even if you just take half an hour in your own metro neighborhood, you have a shot. Grab a chair and that's all. The Perseids are best seen with the naked eye so be prepared to let your eyes adjust for at least 20 min. And that means no cellphone light! Let your eyes relax and look towards the darkest patch in the sky. You should see at least one every few minutes. The best viewing will likely occur after midnight and into the early morning hours. 
 
 Even though the peak occurs overnight Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, the meteors will be showering until Aug. 24. This is the time frame that Earth is passing through the debris trail left by comet Swift-Tuttle. 
 
 As our planet moves through its dust shower, comet particles will collide with our atmosphere, burn up and create flashes of light that will be visible right across the skies of Northern Hemisphere. 
 
 Happy hunting! 
 
 Send us your photos of the Perseid meteor shower at cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca, tweet us at @cbcnewsbc or via Facebook to CBC Vancouver. ||||| One of the year's best meteor showers peaks tonight — and this year's spectacle should be the best since 2009. 
 
 Astronomers have predicted an "outburst" of the annual August Perseid meteor shower this year, which means that you could see double the usual number of meteors, up to 200 per hour, or three a minute, NASA says. 
 
 Here are some tips for catching the most meteors: 
 
 The best viewing times are between 3 a.m. and dawn local time. 
 
 The moon will set around midnight, providing darker skies that will allow you to spot dimmer meteors, which translates into a lot more of them. At that point, the constellation Perseus in the northeast — where the meteors will appear to originate — will be higher in the sky, providing a larger viewing area. 
 
 Point Judith Lighthouse and the Milky Way in Rhode Island. @RachelFrank_CT @yourtake @JimCantore #perseids pic.twitter.com/nomjFTOmKR — @Grahampoo 
 
 Find somewhere dark with a view of as much of the sky as possible. 
 
 If you can, get away from urban lights (although you should be able to see some of the brightest Perseids even in the city.) 
 
 As mentioned, waiting until the moon sets will help. Ideally, you'll want to lie down in an open area such as a park or field, as the meteors will streak across the entire sky and you don't want your view blocked by trees or buildings. 
 
 Ken Tapping, an astronomer with the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, B.C., says a view of the northeast sky and the constellation Perseus can also help you "get a better context." 
 
 If you want some company, see if you can find viewing parties in your area. For example, the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is hosting one starting at 7:30 p.m. (starting with some lectures before dark). 
 
 Look early and look often. 
 
 Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. NASA recommends starting about 45 minutes early. 
 
 While the best viewing is in the dark hours before dawn, the Perseids produce lots of "fireballs" or bright meteors that are visible even when it isn't totally dark. Peter Brown, a professor with the Meteor Physics Group at Western University in London, Ont., says that around 10 p.m., shortly after sunset, brighter meteors will be visible as spectacular "grazing" meteors that travel across much of the sky and can last for many seconds. 
 
 Try again tomorrow. 
 
 If it's cloudy tonight, that doesn't mean you missed your chance. While the official peak of the meteor shower is the night of Aug. 11-12, there should still be lots of extra meteors streaking across the sky tomorrow night. In fact, some national parks such as Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Point Pelee National Park are holding their official meteor shower watching parties on Aug. 12-13. So is Gordon's Park Dark Sky Preserve on Manitoulin Island, Ont. 
 
 People have already been seeing and photographing Perseid meteors for more than a week. 
 
 Have a listen for them 
 
 If you find you really can't see any meteors because of city light or bad weather, Tapping recommends listening for them — tune an FM radio for a gap between two stations and listen to the static. 
 
 "What happens is signals from distant FM stations, not normally receivable, bounce off meteor trails," he said. "Occasionally you hear a strong burst of music or speech." 
 
 The Perseid meteor shower happens each year when Earth passes through the dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle centuries ago during its orbit around the sun. As those particles hit the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, they leave bright trails that we see as meteors. 
 
 We've observed 142 #Perseid meteors so far! Meteors = green & cyan; Comet Swift-Tuttle = purple; planets = brown. pic.twitter.com/mwVYt0FiXW — @NASA_Marshall 
 
 Normally, the Earth only catches the edge of Swift-Tuttle's trail, but about once a decade, Jupiter's and Saturn's gravity gives the trails a tug so that Earth ends up passing through areas where the dust trail is thicker. That can cause an "outburst" with more than the usual number of meteors. 
 
 "We may go through a particularly dense part of the cloud this year," says Tapping. 
 
 The 2009 outburst was similar to this year's prediction, with about double the usual meteor activity. Perseid outbursts in 1992, 1993 and 1994 were even better, with up to five or six times the usual number of visible meteors. 
 
 "Sometimes what happens is people predict a bust and it's fantastic," Tapping said. "Or people predict it's going to be fantastic and it's a bust. The only way to really check it out is to go there and look."
– Never watched the Perseid meteor shower? This is the year to do it. Though Earth spins through the same ancient comet debris each August, Jupiter's gravity has pulled debris closer to Earth this year, meaning Earthlings will witness twice as many shooting stars as normal, or about 160 to 200 meteors per hour, reports NPR. The last time we had a meteor shower with so many meteors, known as an "outburst," was in 2009 and the next one isn't expected until 2027. How best to tune in to "the greatest fireworks show of your life," per Quartz? Simply head outside between midnight and dawn—after 3am local time is ideal—"find a nice dark spot, lie flat on your back and look up," NASA's Bill Cooke tells Live Science. And be patient. Your eyes may need 30 to 40 minutes to adjust to the dark before the meteors actually become visible, Cooke says. Avoid binoculars and telescopes, which narrow your field of view, and get away from the bright lights of cities, he adds. If you can't—or if it’s cloudy—a live stream will be available here. You can also tune your radio to a bunch of static and listen to bursts of music as "signals from distant FM stations, not normally receivable, bounce off meteor trails," an astronomer tells the CBC. Meteors will also be visible Friday night into Saturday morning, but the encore won't be nearly as impressive as Thursday's show.