They’re here! The Tears of St. Lawrence

UPDATE 12 August:

Very cool.  The view of the meteor shower from above, on the ISS!

UPDATE 11 August:

From SpaceWeather:

PERSEID METEOR OUTBURST–TONIGHT! Earth is approaching a thicket of debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. When Earth plows through the debris field on Aug. 11-12, the fireworks will begin. Forecasters expect an outburst of Perseid meteors numbering 200+ per hour.  […]

Meteor rates tonight could be 20 times what Thomas saw. Observing tips: Go outside between midnight and dawn on the morning of Aug. 12th. Allow about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Lie on your back and look straight up. Perseids can appear anywhere in the sky, but their tails will point back to a single point in the constellation Perseus: sky map. Increased activity may also be seen on the morning of Aug. 13th.

Got clouds? NASA is planning a live broadcast of the Perseid meteor shower overnight on Aug. 11-12 and Aug. 12-13, beginning at 10 p.m. EDT. You can also listen to radar echoes from the Perseids on Space Weather Radio. More webcasts:from Israel, from Alabama.

ORIGINAL POST Published on: Aug 9, 2016 @ 09:28

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First, this via APOTD:

That was just too cool not to post.

And this also, a shot of the Perseids, which is the real topic here.  Go to APOTD for an interactive image.  Spiffy.

Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Lawrence. That means we have come back around to the Tears of St. Lawrence... the Perseid Meteor Shower!

From SpaceWeather:

PERSEID METEOR OUTBURST: The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week, and it could be twice a good as usual. Forecasters say the meteor rate could surge to 200+ meteors per hour on Aug. 11-12. Click here for the full story.

Make a plan to take the kids out to see the meteors.  Try to get away from light pollution.