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Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight With Up To 200 Meteors Per Hour (latimes.com)
The Perseid meteor shower happens ever year in August, but this year it will be especially spectacular with twice as many shooting stars streaking across the night sky. Los Angeles Times reports: "In past years, stargazers would have seen up to one meteor each minute, on average, in a very dark sky. But this year, there's even more reason to stay up late or crawl out of bed in the middle of the night. 'We're expecting 160 to 200 meteors per hour,' said Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. This year's 'outburst' of shooting stars was set into motion more than a year ago, when Jupiter passed closer than usual to the stream of dusty debris left in the wake of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Jupiter's gravity field tugged a large clump of the tiny particles closer to Earth's eventual path. These intense displays happen once a decade or so, Cooke said. The next one won't be until 2027 or 2028." The best viewing experience will be away from the city. Since it takes roughly 30-45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, it's recommended you don't pull out your smartphone or excessively shine your flashlight around. The Los Angeles Times has a neat infographic of the Perseid meteor shower.
Sounds like they're expecting 3 times as many, not 2.
http://www.spacedex.com/persei...
Change your country to wherever you are.
Astronomically speaking there are far more exciting things to do with your time that are more convenient.
There are few things as existing or magical than sitting down and drinking beer with mates and looking up at the night sky on day where something is actually happening. Playing spot the satellite is nice enough but especially during the Perseid showers you do occasionally get a whopper of a meteor that leaves a smoking streak across the night sky.
If you feel like playing video games instead then go your hardest, but the sky is incredibly boring without an incredibly dark sky, some really good gear, and some serious time and dedication to the art. A meteor shower is one of the few events where something actually happens, and it doesn't get enough attention.