California Photographers & Astronomers Ready for Meteor Shower Perseid

The Perseid meteor shower is the largest one of the year with several shooting stars and bright lights to fill the sky.Photo byphoto by Kevin Key

A meteor shower will light up the California sky tonight and tomorrow morning. Scientists say it's the largest one of the year, and it's happening between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. PST, very early Monday morning. Many California photographers and astronomers look forward to this day every year.

The Perseid showers are a yearly meteor shower that is greatly anticipated in the astronomy world because it is the largest meteor display along with something called a planetary conjunction. Many are saying this is something they hope many people will stay up to see.

Experts say the meteor shower is the biggest and brightest one every year. Astronomers especially get excited about it because you don't need a telescope or special equipment to see it. Anyone can see it, as long as there isn't a large fog cover.

On August 14^th, the planetary conjunction occurs. That is when Jupiter and Mars are very close together. The planets will be very close together and can be seen a couple of hours before sunrise.

A Special Display:

There will be dozens of “shooting stars” seen per hour with long tails and colorful lights. If the sky is clear, they will be impossible to miss.

Experts predict that a G2 geomagnetic storm will occur in the northernmost states, from Idaho to New York. In these parts of the country, the aurora will be very colorful, with greens, purples, and reds being seen in the sky.

Some experts say that if the storm is very active, it may be seen as early as 10:30 p.m. Sunday night. Some people like to set up their cameras or telescopes to take pictures of the display.