Aug. 12-13
This shower is another civilization-spanning spectacle, one astronomers have been observing for around 2,000 years.
It owes its origins to Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. The shower draws its name from the constellation Perseus, where the meteors appear to originate as they streak across the sky. At its peak, viewers under clear, dark skies can see up to 60 shooting stars an hour.