Best Meteor Shower of the Year Arrives This Weekend. Will We See it In the HV?

One of the most famous annual meteor showers of the year is coming this weekend.

Space.com says that the Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak on the evenings of August 11 to12 and August 12 to 13. Monday, before dawn, will be the best time to view the Perseids.

Stargazers and astronomy buffs are in for a show. During the' peak week, you can see about 60 to 70 meteors per hour. Some years, such as 2016, saw about 150 to 200 meteors an hour.

One NASA expert says 2018 should an exceptional year for viewing. Bill Cooke tells Space.com that the moon will be near new moon, and it will be a crescent, which means it will set before the meteor shower, which starts after midnight.

The Perseids are the dust remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is the largest object to pass Earth. Earth passes through through the comet's path July 17 to August 24.

Best viewing is expected in the Northern Hemisphere. So how's the weather looking for the Hudson Valley area this weekend? It's still early to tell, but Saturday and Sunday night's forecasts are calling for mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms.

Wouldn't you know it? Guess all we can do is hope for a break in the clouds to enjoy the show.