Perseid Meteor Shower 2011: Shooting Stars After Midnight but Full Moon Interferes - ABC News
Go outside before dawn, and if the Perseid meteor shower of 2011 is good to you, you will be able to see the sky falling.
Every year at this time, the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet called Swift-Tuttle, and the result is a meteor shower -- shooting stars, up to 50 or 60 per hour -- streaking across the night sky as debris from the comet enters the earth's atmosphere and burns up.
Even though the comet is far away now, in an elliptical orbit that brings it close to the sun just once every 133 years, rock and ice from it have spread out in a ring all along its path. The comet itself will probably be pretty good to see if you can hang on until July 2126, but in the meantime, like clockwork, it gives us an annual meteor shower in mid-August.
Check out this link for full article: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/perseid-meteor-shower-2011-shooting-stars-midnight-full/story?id=14268632
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