How to watch the Perseid meteor shower in Utah

The Perseid meteor shower peaks next weekend — and Utah's abundant dark skies make it the place to be to see one of the year's best shows in space.

The big picture: The Perseids appear each summer as the Earth passes through the dust and rock debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle.

How it works: The meteor shower is expected to peak late Sunday night, Aug. 11 until early Aug. 12.

Yes, but: If you need to avoid showing up for work tired and bedraggled next Monday, the Perseids are already visible — and will pop up for days after the peak.

• The increased activity should be most noticeable Aug. 9–15 . Where skies are dark and clear, the peak normally brings 50–75 meteors per hour, according to NASA .

The intrigue: This should be a great year, with the moon setting around 11:30pm — making the meteors the stars of the show in otherwise dark skies.

• Pre-peak viewing will likely be better than post-peak, since the moon is waxing until Aug. 19 , bringing more and more light into the sky.

Fun fact: The Perseids typically bring the most fireballs — exceptionally bright meteors — of any annual meteor shower.

Where to go: Find an official Dark Sky Place in Utah for a Perseid-viewing site near you.

• Or just pick a clear night and start driving out of town. Lots of Utah's dark places don't have people around to seek official "dark sky" status.