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       To improve your odds of seeing a Perseid meteor shower, observe in a dark, open area that is hidden from street lights. Bring a beach blanket, sleeping bag or something comfortable such as a deck chair that makes it easy to sit or lie back and stare up at the sky.

       DADO RUVIC/Reuters

       One of summer’s great rituals, the annual Perseid meteor shower, is reaching its climax this week, offering those with clear skies the best chance all year to spot a “shooting star.”

       The term is misleading in that meteors are not stars, but rather tiny bits of grit, like sand grains adrift in interplanetary space. As Earth orbits the sun, it barrels into these particles, causing them to plunge through our atmosphere at speeds that typically exceed 100,000 kilometres an hour. Incinerated by friction with the air, the particles momentarily become glowing streaks high above the planet’s surface. When viewed under a dark sky, far from city lights, they can be spectacular, eliciting oohs and aahs like a natural fireworks display.

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       This promises to be a particularly good year for the Perseids, because the moon will be setting early, meaning the night sky will be at its darkest after midnight, when meteor activity tends to pick up.

       DADO RUVIC/Reuters

       Individual meteors are random occurrences, but meteor showers are more predictable because they are caused by streams of particles that Earth intersects with at roughly the same time each year. The stream that is responsible for the Perseids is made up of debris released by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed our way in 1992. The shower is ideal for Canadian stargazers because its angle of approach favours the northern hemisphere. Although the shower happens over several days, it always peaks around Aug. 11.

       This promises to be a particularly good year for the Perseids, because the moon will be setting early, meaning the night sky will be at its darkest after midnight, when meteor activity tends to pick up. Wednesday and Thursday will be the best nights to watch, because they bracket the peak of the shower.

       To improve your odds of seeing a Perseid, observe in a dark, open area that is hidden from street lights. Bring a beach blanket, sleeping bag or something comfortable such as a deck chair that makes it easy to sit or lie back and stare up at the sky. During the peak of the shower, meteors tend to show up once every few minutes, but that rate can vary greatly depending on local conditions. The best strategy is to bring a friend along. Together, you can pass the time sharing one of the universe’s many wonders.

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