Weekend Coincides With the Height of Perseid Meteor Shower 2012

According to Astronomy.com, the Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year.

It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means Pasco County viewers can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather in Bradenton so far, is predicted to be partly cloudy with a chance of storms throughout the weekend, but it's not certain when the storms will pass through.
• The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
• The shower began on July 23 and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
• Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteoroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
• If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where to view:

• You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot. The beach may be a perfect spot to view the showers and perhaps to share a romantic moment at the same time.
• Away from city lights, so the further you get from town, the better your view will be. If you just want to stargaze, viewing might be best east of the interstate.

If you snap a great photo of the shower, !