The Sky Is Falling....
Well, no. Not really. On August 12th look up into the night sky to see the spectacular annual meteor shower known as the Perseid Meteor Shower. It is called this because the shooting stars seem to be coming from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky. The height of the show will be on Sunday, August 12th this year and if the weather permits it should be a good one as the moon will be in its new phase. That means there won't be any light interference from the moon.
The source of this meteor shower is the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which the earth moves through every year in mid August. Shooting stars can be seen in the days leading to the 12th and for a few days after. However, the predicted day to see the most is the night of August 12th. Starting at around 9-10 pm you might be able to see what are called earthgrazers, meteors that skim the atmosphere. They are usually slow, long and colorful but not as frequent. Well worth the wait if you can catch one. By 2 am there should be dozens of meteors an hour. If you are in an area without a lot of light pollution, you could see 1-2 shooting stars per minute from that time until dawn!!!
If you are into history, this meteor shower is also known as St. Lawrence's Fiery Tears. Laurentius, a Christian Deacon, was said to have been martyred by the Romans in 258 AD. His death was commemorated on Aug. 10th, his feast day, and the annual meteor shower during this time has come to be known as his "Fiery Tears." For more details to this story go to: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/050805_perseid_guide.html
For more information on the Perseid Meteor Shower and viewing tips go to the following websites.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/8935687.html
For a list of annual meteor showers go to: http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/
Happy sky watching!