Perseid meteor shower of the year TONIGHT: Stargazers be ready

Have you ever seen shooting stars? Well, there are few things more beautiful than watching a shooting star streak across the sky. Shooting stars are about to rain down from the heavens and illuminate the night sky today late night. Interesting, isn't it. Best meteor shower of the year, known as the Perseids, will reach its peak on the night of Monday. The meteors are believed to be caused when our planet crosses the orbital path of Comet 96P/Machholz. Also, when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it vaporizes and turns into a meteor. Well, this is what we see as a streak of light in the sky. Meteors are sometimes mistaken as shooting stars but they are just tiny pieces of rock.

Viewers across the United States will have a chance Monday night into early Tuesday morning, when a dozen meteors per hour and possibly up to 50 or more at its peak are slated to dazzle the heavens after dark.

Unfortunately, the stargazers from South-eastern US, north-central US and Canada may miss the celestial show due to thick clouds.

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Where to look during the meteor shower?

Perseids are named after the part of the sky in which they originate, known as the radiant point. They all originate from a part of the sky near the constellation Perseus.

The radiant point will be in the North-eastern sky, but you do not need to focus on this area of the sky to see the meteor shower. In fact, meteors will be able to be seen in all areas of the sky.

Due to the moon, spectators this year should try to keep the moon out of their sight and look to the darkest part of the sky. This will help to increase the odds of seeing some meteors.

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