Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower Thursday Night—It Could Be Twice Its Usual Size This Year

There's a bunch of stuff flying through space this week.

By Sophia June

Every August, the sky lights up with a shooting star show. 50-100 meteors per hour blaze across the sky as spectators below lie on their backs and take underwhelming photos.

This year, the Perseid Meteor Shower is supposed to be even greater. Like, maybe even Cavalia great.

According to the International Meteor Organization, the Shower could increase from 50 to 200 meteors per hour this year.

The shower has been going on since mid-July, but according to the American Meteor Society, peak viewing time is after midnight and before dawn on Friday, August 12, when meteors shoot across the sky at least once every minute. That's worth a late-night peek outside on Thursday night.

For the best view, face toward the flattest horizon, where the least possible number of trees or hills will block your view. The Meteor Society also also suggests facing toward the darkest part of sky and centering your field of view half way up the sky. For photographers, they recommend using a 28mm lens and at least a 60-second exposure.

A live broadcast by NASA will be watchable online on Thursday night and Saturday night, starting at 7 pm Pacific Standard Time.

OMSI is also hosting a Star Party to watch the meteor shower. Spectators will gather at Rooster Rock State Park and L.L. Stub Stewart State Park, where OMSI is setting up telescopes for people to use starting at 9 pm.

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