You Can Stream the Perseid Meteor Shower Live Online with NASA
NASA will give you the chance to catch the best meteor shower of the year, even if you're not in an ideal location for meteors.
It's time for the Perseid meteor shower, one of the most impressive celestial events you'll see this year.
The meteors have been popping up in the night sky since late July, but the shower will peak the night of August 11 into the morning of August 12. It's a can't-miss event. However, if you can't leave the city or are in the southern hemisphere where skygazers won't see quite so many meteors, NASA can help you out.
NASA will be hosting a live stream of the Perseids the night of August 11 from 11 pm to 6 am ET on its Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. That will be hosted by the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. If it's too cloudy where the cameras are situated, there will be a make-up stream the following night, the agency says.
At the peak of the Perseids, you might see as many as 100 meteors per hour that night under dark skies—far from the light pollution of cities—Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office told Thrillist. If there's any light pollution, or you're out too early in the evening, you'll see fewer meteors than that.
Find out more about viewing the Perseids in real life with our handy guide to watching the shower.
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in a stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners, the best meteor showers of 2021, or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities.