The sky will be pretty clear every night through at least the middle of next week, making this a great time to view the annual Perseid meteor shower — especially east of Interstate 15 in San Diego County, where there’s less light pollution.
The shower will reach its peak late on the night of Aug. 12 and in the early hours of Aug. 13. But NASA says it will be hard to see meteors at that time, because about 84 percent of the moon will be illuminated.
Skygazers should head to areas in the county’s eastern foothills, mountains and deserts that offer a clear of the sky. Meteors can appear anywhere above the horizon, though many people like to face northeast, where they can see constellation Perseid.
The ideal viewing period lasts from roughly midnight to shortly before dawn. It’s important to give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark before searching for meteors, which materialize when ice and dust thrown off by Comet Swift-Tuttle hit Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
Spotting meteors from the county’s coastal communities will be difficult due to light pollution. And the overnight marine layer is likely to be at least 700 feet deep into next week, according to the National Weather Service.
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