I'm waking kiddo up around 2 to go watch it. Hopefully weather will be cooperative tonight!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/12/meteor.shower/
(CNN) -- There's still time to charge that laptop and brew some coffee before the Perseid meteor shower peaks Thursday night and predawn Friday morning.
OK, it's easy to understand why the coffee will come in handy during the long watch overnight. But the laptop?
Meteor gazers can join a NASA live chat with astronomer Bill Cooke. The Marshall Space Flight Center astronomer will be answering questions beginning around 11 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday.
NASA also is broadcasting live the hums of the meteors as they whiz by.
With a waxing crescent moon expected to set beforehand, and hence less moonlight in the way, forecasters are expecting one of the best celestial shows of the year, weather in your neighborhood permitting.
With good viewing conditions, stargazers might be able to catch at least 40 meteors per hour, Space.com said.
"The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yields 90 to 100 meteors per hour," Space.com columnist Joe Rao said in his column. "Anyone in a city or near bright suburban lights will see far fewer."
NASA advises viewers that "the Perseids shower will begin around 10 p.m. YOUR local time. However, the best times to view are after midnight and before dawn, with the best activity around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. local time. Best conditions are a clear, dark sky away from city lights. Go outside and look straight up at the sky."
The Perseids can be seen all over the sky, but the best viewing opportunities will be across the Northern Hemisphere. Those with sharp eyes will see that the meteors radiate from the direction of the constellation Perseus.
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