If you have a couple of hours to spare tonight ...

... you might want to take in the Perseid Meteor Shower.

The Moon is least troublesome during the early evening hours of August 11th. Around 9 to 11 p.m. local time (your local time), both Perseus and the Moon will be hanging low in the north. This low profile reduces lunar glare while positioning the shower's radiant for a nice display of Earthgrazers.

It's one of the best times of the year to view meteor showers.

If you like shooting stars ...

... tonight is the night. At their peak, the Perseid meteor shower will average a meteor every second. Of course, for best viewing ... wait until after midnight.

I have my second school board meeting tonight, and hopefully it won't run too late so I can get to the local astronomy club party early with the wife and catch a full night of star gazing. Damn, I'm such a geek.

Astronomy Geekage

Sky & Telescope's - What's Up This Week.

It was friggin cloudy last night so I didn't get to see anything in the night sky, which was a total bummer. But, hopefully the weather will clear up tonight. Why? Well, the Perseid meteor showers begin tonight and run through the weekend and a bit beyond. They peak on the morning of the 12th, and the local astronomy club here is getting together for viewing on the evening of the 11th.