NASA: Perseid Meteor Shower “Best of Year” (Catch the 2014 Peak Dates!)

Fireballs will shoot across the sky mid-August in the celestial show of the year.

Between 50 and 100 meteors per hour are expected to appear during the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks late night Aug. 12 and early dawn Aug. 13.

The Perseids are known for their bright flashes in the sky. These are larger explosions of light that last longer than typical meteor streaks, according to NASA. Their radiant is the constellation Perseus, named for the Greek hero famous for decapitating the snake-haired creature Medusa.

A radiant is the point in the sky from which a shower derives.

The Delta Aquarid meteor shower, which began mid-July, peaks during the predawn hours of July 28 and 29. Fifteen to 20 meteors are expected to fall each hour. The shower is named after its radiant, the constellation Aquarius, whose third brightest star is Delta.

A nearly full moon may obscure the view of the Perseids, NASA says, but the Delta Aquarids’ peak occurs during a new moon, meaning darker skies for optimal viewing.

For the best view, NASA recommends lying flat on your back and giving your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.

“Looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith, and 45 degrees from the constellation of Aquarius will improve your chances of viewing the Delta Aquarids,” NASA notes.

If you miss the Delta Aquarids during their peak, they will still be visible during the Perseid meteor shower.

“You will know that you have spotted a Delta Aquarid if the meteor is coming from the constellation Aquarius,” NASA says. “Its radiant will be in the southern part of the sky. The Perseid radiant is in the northern part of the sky.”

Meteors originate from leftover fragments of comets and asteroids. Comets that travel through the sun leave dust behind, and when the Earth passes through that debris, those remnants clash with the atmosphere, disintegrate, and generate colorful, sparkling streaks.

Use NASA’s meteor shower calculator to track activity in your town.