Go someplace dark! Meteors this weekend and in coming weeks

Every year, people look forward to the August Perseid meteor shower. And it’s wonderful, with regular rates of about 60 meteors per hour. In 2014, though, the year’s largest supermoon on August 10 will interfere with the peak dates of the Perseid shower (the mornings of August 11, 12 and 13). But never fear. The Perseids rise to a peak gradually, and there’s another meteor shower going on around now, too. The Delta Aquarid shower – whose radiant point is shown on the chart above – doesn’t have as definite a peak as the Perseids. This shower is now producing a steady supply of meteors, which you can see in dark skies.

[link to earthsky.org]