The peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower happens officially Wednesday afternoon, so there's a chance to see some of the activity Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The problem will be the weather - mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast along with a chance for rain. If there happen to be any breaks in the clouds you need to look Northeast around midnight and basically straight up before dawn. The good news is that there's always next year to hope for clear skies! Keep in mind too that the shower peaks on these two nights but doesn't end altogether. There may be a chance of seeing a meteor or two here and there for another week.
Now for some trivia: Did you know that Aristotle coined the term meteorology? He wrote a book called Meteorologica in which he called anything flying through the air a meteor. A raindrop was called - and still is in research circles - a "hydrometeor". Thunder and lightning were called "electrometeors". The terms stuck, so scientists like me that forecast the weather are called meteorologists. Scientists that study space and comets, eclipses and meteor showers are called astronomers. Just something to impress your friends with at the watercooler tomorrow morning!
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