Summer fun: meteor shower to light up sky Aug. 11-12

Get your blankets ready: The evenings of Aug. 11-12 are expected to be the best nights of the year to view the Perseid meteor shower, a spectacular show put on every summer courtesy of Mother Nature.

The “shooting stars,” caused when the Earth enters a stream of dusty debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, should be most plentiful between the hours of 9-11 p.m. Tuesday night and Wednesday night, assuming the nights are clear. Just before the first rays of light on Wednesday should be good viewing, too.

Star gazers say that best way to catch the show is to lie on your back on a blanket in a spot that’s not too light polluted.

“I watched it last year, and it was just phenomenal,” says Jennifer Gebelein, assistant director of online and web management in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Department of Earth & Environment faculty. “Tonight is supposed to be the best time to view this year’s Perseid meteor shower.”