Perseids Meteor Shower 2012 Peak Time and Places to Watch Near Swampscott

The Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year: It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, and it's on a Saturday night, which means people can stay up late and sleep in the next day.

You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, lay back and enjoy!  

Local astronomer Jim Keating says, by the sun circle, would be a good place to view the meteor shower because it looks to the northeast.

"It has a direct path to the northeast," he said.

Still, it remains to be seen if the weather will cooperate. The forecast for Saturday night calls for overcast skies.

The Night Sky Notes from the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University says: "Perseid meteor shower peaks in the predawn sky. Look for shooting stars Saturday night into Sunday morning. The best way to view the Perseids is to go to a dark location with a big view of the sky. Lay back and enjoy the shooting stars."

Here are some links to New England astronomy organizations.

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

• These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
• The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
• The weather, so far, is predicted to be clear, so you should have a good view.
• The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
• The shower began on July 23, and will peak the night of Aug. 11-12. 
• Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
• Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
• If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where to view:

• You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot.  
• If you snap a great photo of the shower, .