Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend

Don't forget to look up Saturday night.

The Perseid meteor shower is back and will reach its peak late Saturday and into the early morning hours of Sunday.

According to the Griffith Observatory's Sky Report, the shower is observable, streaming from the northeast, starting at 11 p.m. and will continue until dawn at about 4:45 a.m.

The waning crescent moon will be more of an annoyance than a hindrance to watching the shower, according to Anthony Cook, an astronomical observer, who creates the semi-monthly report.

Of course, if you watch from an area with less light pollution, you can expect to see more meteors. The hillsides around Griffith Park offer one promising location. Do note that the park and the observatory close at 10 p.m.

Cook advises viewers in the wilderness to bring warm clothes, blankets or a sleeping bag, and a reclining chair so you can watch with your head slightly elevated facing toward the east or northeast.

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• Mankind has looked up at the Perseids for nearly 2,000 years
• The Perseids are remnants of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun every 133 years.
• These bits of comet "ice and dust" are more than 1,000 years old
• These meteors travel 37 miles per second
• The Perseids can be seen all over the sky, but the best viewing opportunities will be across the northern hemisphere.
• Those with sharp eyes will see that the meteors radiate from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteorites 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 and how to view:

• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather, so far, is predicted to be clear, so you should have a good view.
• Avoid city lights. The further you get from town, the better your view will be.
• Join the NASA's Live Video/Audio Feed by clicking here. NASA will live stream the meteor shower as seen from atop the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville AL. Also experts will be online available to answer questions between 8 p.m. PDT and midnight.

If you snap a great photo of the shower, upload it to our photo gallery!

Stay connected with Hollywood Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates.