August 8, 2002 Posted: 3:14 PM EDT (1914 GMT

(CNN) -- The most viewer friendly meteor show in the Northern Hemisphere is quickening its pace, peaking next week in its display of colorful light streaks. The Perseids take place in mid-August, offering a striking contrast to the chilly nocturnal weather of November and December when the Leonids and Geminids take center stage.

The combination of nice conditions and picturesque meteors offer prime viewing pleasure, according to Gary Kronk, a longtime meteor watcher who hosts the Comets and Meteor Shower Web site.

"The Perseids stand out because they occur at the time of warm summer nights and because they produce a consistent annual display of bright meteors," he said.

The Perseids slowly have increased in number in recent weeks and are expected to culminate overnight Monday and Tuesday with up to 80 "shooting stars" an hour.

While other showers might sporadically spawn higher numbers, the Perseids offer dependable yields of eye pleasures, often with persistent light trails that linger in the air.

"The Perseids produce many bright blue-white meteors that usually catch the attention of people who are outside for reasons other than meteor watching," Kronk said.

"I have given many talks to schools, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts over the years and have found that a lot of people have seen the Perseids, without realizing they were seeing an annual event of nature."

EXTRA INFORMATION Listen to the radio echo of a Geminid meteor recorded by a NASA detection system XXX

The best time to watch the nightly exhibition is between 2 a.m. and dawn when the constellation Perseus, from where the shower seems to originate, is highest in the sky.

Can't wait up that late? The Perseids usually start appearing around 10 p.m. Some of the early ones streak more slowly, providing longer and more spectacular meteors.

People in the Northern Hemisphere have a good view of the Perseids, but because the constellation Perseus hardly rises above the horizon, their Southern Hemisphere counterparts have much less luck.

The Perseid meteors come from dust-size grains left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle, which every 130 years flies into the inner solar system. Most of the time the comet orbits beyond Pluto.

During August, the Earth moves into the comet debris trail, and the particles splat into the atmosphere, much like bugs hitting a windshield.

Rather than leaving behind a bloblike carcass, the Perseids disappear into a blaze of streaking light, incinerated by intense friction as they smack into the sky at speeds of about 37 miles per second (60 kilometers per second).

Bright lights are the bane of night sky watching; therefore, viewers should make sure to head to dark, open spaces far from cities for optimal viewing.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/08/08/perseids.preview/index.html

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 10, 2002

Answers

For some reason I get the feeling these dust particles that are called meteor showers are the dust and flakings of a big rock that's out there in space , and soon not just the dust but the whole rock is going to come crashing down. I bet that'll be a spectactular site. Like the final finally at a fireworks display.

-- SM Steve (Unreal@home.com), August 11, 2002.

Well Steve, that certainly is a cheery thought! ;-) From what I understand, these things happen more often that people know...I saw something about a biggy coming this way some time down the line. But ya know, I could get "hit by a bus" tomorrow. Who wants to live forever, anyway? Noooot me. :-)

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 11, 2002.

Well' I took a nap today so I could see the meteor showers tonight and the sky is , well I don't know what it is, but I can't see stars . Ozone concentration is an unhealthy 95 and it's been this way for 4 days in a row . Maybe I'll just watch the ozone . If a big rock don't fall from the sky tonight , I don't think I'm gonna get to see anything .

-- SM Steve (Unreal@home.com), August 12, 2002.