EON

Annual August Meteor Shower To Peak Tonight

Ontario- Each year the annual Perseid meteor show shows up, some years it is dull, other years it can be quite spectacular.

The annual meteor shower that occurs across North America is expected to peak tonight, giving most of the provinces in Canada a spectacular potential light show.

The meteors are firing earlier in the evening, and much of the light from the waxing moon will likely drown out many of the meteors.

Still, for those stalwart stellar observers, the Perseid Meteor Shower promises to reveal meteors that often are not available for viewing, and it may still offer a interesting stellar light show.

Comets and the meteors that they toss off are a bit like dirty ice balls, but when they hit the atmosphere of the earth in the upper air, they melt, leaving a streak of light.

The meteors that are visible can literally be a grain of sand in size and shape, but when they hit the upper air of the Earth traveling at 130,000 miles per hour, they provide a brief but spectacular light show.

Many meteor showers that occur happen in the winter, but its often cold or bitter outside and its no fun to watch under those conditions.