The Perseids are coming! The Perseids are coming!

In mid-July the Earth begins zooming through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The Perseid Meteor shower is the result of that. This, the world's most famous meteor shower, maxes out on the morning of August 12th.

Rebecca Saflarski of the City Lights Astronomical Society for Students (CLASS) in Illinois held an event for the Two Rivers Girl Scout Troop. Rebecca said: "The girls had a blast."

Krissie Cook and the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit in California held Perseid Party. "In addition to telescopes, they laid out carpet squares so folks could lie down and watch for Perseids, plus Black Hole planetarium shows, and make your own planispheres and comets. A video eyepiece was used to project telescopic views of Jupiter and other neat objects. We also handed around a meteorite for people waiting in line for telescope views."

Rosemarie Spedaliere of the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area (ASTRA) in New Jersey, told us: "We went to observe the meteor shower with about 32 telescopes set up. A family of 4 appeared out of the darkness. They stayed with us and learned. I'll tell you these little girls were very smart and asked some great questions. We truly enjoyed making their observing session special!"

Chances are, you'll be able to see a fireball or at the least a spectacular show with the help from a local astronomy club. Find an astronomy club near you and enjoy the fun and excitement of a meteor shower.

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