Today:
Tonight is the projected peak of the Perseid meteor shower, part of a “double-feature” celestial show. This year’s view of the Perseids won’t be helped by the moon, which was full just three nights ago, and is still 84 percent illuminated. Even so, the brighter meteors will be visible, especially after midnight. The second feature, climbing into the east from 4 to 5 o’clock, Jupiter and the even brighter Venus.
Wednesday:
Although now slightly past its peak, the Perseid Meteor Shower will continue tonight, as the Earth passes through the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle, with thousands of tiny pieces of dust and rock that burn up in our atmosphere 40 to 70 miles above us. Considerable competition can again be expected from the Moon, this time 81 percent illuminated, once it rises at 9:54 PM.
Thursday:
Low in the failing southwestern twilight between 8:45 and 9:15 PM, you will find the bright, bluish-white star Spica nearing the end of its viewing for the year. Although Spica ranks just outside the top-ten brightest stars, at 250 light years away, actually outshines the Sun by 15 thousand times!