**Update** August 13 - Meteor Shower Viewable on night of Aug. 12 to Aug. 13 (Sun - Mon); see live online straming
The Perseid meteor shower is currently viewable across the skies of North America. After the sun set and the expanse darkened, the shooting stars started making their very welcomed appearances on the night of Saturday, August 11.
Schedule & Peak Times By U.S. City (Live Streaming Provided Below)
Although considered a big space event, enjoying the spectacle is not limited to space fans only. Thus, people of all walks of life Ontario, Canada to New York, to California can make the best out of the light show.
The best time to watch it will fall between 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday until sunrise on Sunday. The shower should arrive at its peak at about 2:00 a.m. EDT.
New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta: 11:00 p.m. - night fades (peak 2:00 a.m.)
Houston, Chicago: 10:00 p.m. - night fades (peak 1:00 a.m.)
Denver: 9:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m. (peak: 12:00 a.m.)
Los Angeles, San Francisco: Evening - 5:00 a.m. (peak 11:00 p.m.)
During this time frame, Earth will be passing through a cloud of debris from a comet called Swift-Tuttle that started breaking apart about 1,000 years ago. As the globe makes its procession bits of its ice and dust will enter the Earth's atmosphere causing sparks or the momentary 'shooting stars' people see.
What to Expect
During its peak time, viewers will be able to observe about 60-100 meteors per hour or about one or two every minute. Places where pollution is serious will result in low visibility.
The meteors travel at about 37 miles per second and as they hit the Earth's atmosphere it in return causes the lighting trail we see.
The light emitted can vary in degree of intensity. Viewers may occasionally find fireballs brighter than others and of longer duration as well.
Telescopes are not needed required to view the lights and people are not in risk of having their sight permanently damaged if viewed without any filters.
USA and Canada are ideally located to enjoy the viewing.
Also, if low visibility may obstruct the viewing, or if people desire to simply remain indoors, an online streaming of the event is provided below:
Live Online Streaming
Live Video streaming by Ustream
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