The 2017 Perseid meteor shower will peak on Friday and Saturday nights, but a bright moon may make them difficult to see.
The full moon took place Aug. 7, and the moon will still be about 80 percent full for the Perseid peak, Space.com reported. A bright moon will make the Perseids appear dimmer and obscure visibility for some of them altogether.
“To be honest, it’s not a good year” to see the meteors, Royal Astronomical Society of London Executive Director Robert Massey said, Newsweek reported. “You might, if you’re lucky, see maybe 20 an hour.” Fifty to 75 an hour is typical in a rural location when the moon isn’t interfering.
The International Meteor Organization said that watching before 11 p.m. when the moon rises will give the best chance of seeing the meteors, although they are more sparse in those earlier hours, Newsweek reported. “These meteors tend to be very long and long-lasting so it is definitely worth trying to see some of them,” the IMO said, according to Newsweek.
There also are telescopes that will be showing the meteors online for those who don’t have a good location for viewing.
The Perseid meteors are debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, which circles the sun every 130 years. Earth passes close to its orbit each year in July and August, providing the best vantage point for seeing them.
They got their name from their location, which is close to the constellation of Perseus, a Greek mythological hero who killed Medusa.
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