Every year in August the Earth passes through bits of rock that were shed from the Comet Swift-Tuttle in 1479.
This meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus. If you were able to trace where the meteors are coming from you'd find the "radiant" the center point is the constellation Perseus.
The meteors travel at 37 miles per second or 133,000 mph. They hit our atmosphere at 80 miles high and they never make it all the way to Earth. At this speed what we are seeing on Earth is a trail of superheated air. But these meteors aren't big. For those of you who remember Grape Nuts cereal, a meteor is a similar size, texture and color to the cereal. I have some in my hand to show you how small they are.
We have one opportunity to see the Perseid meteor shower in Southern California and that's tonight from 9:30 to 12:30 in the morning. At 12:30 the quarter moon rises and washes out the meteors. If you are in the right place, away from city lights you may be able to see 40 to 50 an hour. Look to the darkest part of the sky and give your eyes 20 minutes to an hour to adjust. Skies will be clear.
If you take any great shots please tag #NBCLA or me @anthonynbcla on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
