Perseid meteor shower has begun: How to see shooting stars

Denise Chow is a science and space reporter for NBC News.

One of the best meteor showers of the year is underway, offering a chance to see shooting stars in the summer night sky. The annual Perseid meteor shower kicked off Sunday and will last through late August. This year’s shower will peak the night of Aug. 12, into early morning on Aug. 13. The Perseid meteor shower is typically one of the most dramatic because it produces bright meteors at a high hourly rate.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through a cloud of dust particles and leftover debris from a comet known as 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862. The streaks of light are created as the pieces hit the atmosphere and vaporize, leaving behind bright trails as they disintegrate. The Perseids get their name because the shooting stars appear to stream from a point in the sky where the constellation of Perseus is located, according to NASA.

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