The ‘best meteor shower of the year’ peaks in Colorado August 12 & 13

The ‘best meteor shower of the year’ is set to peak in the Northern Hemisphere, including Colorado, over the next few days, specifically in the early morning hours of August 12 and August 13.

The Perseid Meteor Shower will be sending up to 75 to 100 meteors across the sky per hour in what experts say could be the best celestial show of the year.

The Perseids are a result of Earth passing through leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed close to Earth in the inner solar system in 1992.

NASA says the Perseids are best viewed during the pre-dawn hours, though it is sometimes possible to view meteors from the shower as early as 10 p.m.

Although the moon will be 50% illuminated during the peak of the Perseids this year, according to space.com, the moon will set around midnight, providing dark skies, and ideal meteor-watching conditions, until dawn, weather permitting.

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