The Perseid meteor shower will be peaking this week with possibly up to 100 shooting stars per hour streaking across the Iowa skies. The display starts on July 13 and continues through August 26 but the peak of the display will be this week on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The Perseids feature fast and bright meteors that frequently leave trains, and in 2015 there will be no moonlight to upstage the shower.

Weather conditions later this week look very good for viewing the Perseids. Skies look to be mostly clear Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night. A cool front is forecast to move through Iowa late Thursday and that could generate some clouds but as of now I don’t think Thursday night will be completely cloudy. Stay tuned for further updates on that.

To view the Perseids its best to get out of the city where light pollution can hinder viewing and head out to the county after dark. For the big show you’ll need to stay up late as the show will peak after midnight each night and continue into the pre-dawn hours. The shooting stars will appear to come from the constellation Perseus which will be in the northeastern part of the sky approximately 35 to 45 degrees above the horizon. When you go out bring a chair or blanket because you may have to wait for the shooting stars to get going.

                                             

Happy star gazing and enjoy the weather this week.