It’s shaping up to be a nice year for the Perseids. With dark, clear skies expected for mid-August, the annual Perseid meteor shower should prove to be a good show for sky watchers as it peaks the nights of Aug. 12 and 13. Technically active from July 14 to Sept. 1, the meteor shower typically produces an average of 50 to 75 meteors per hour at peak, according to the American Meteor Society, making it one of the biggest astronomical events of the year. Meteor showers are best seen under the darkest skies possible, since the quick flashes of meteors can be drowned out by city lights or the light of the moon. Anyone in a rural location should be in good shape this year, with a moon that will pose very little threat to seeing the show. The waning crescent moon will not only produce little interfering light, it will also set earlier in the evening and rise well after midnight on Aug. 12 and 13 in Portland, according to Time and Date, leaving darker skies than usual. And while any relatively rural spot will do, those under especially dark skies, like those of central and eastern Oregon, might be treated to an even more spectacular experience.
