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UPDATE: Meteor Shower To Dazzle Tonight; Clear Skies Predicted

Viewers should be able to observe around 80 "shooting stars" per hour during this year's Perseid Meteor Shower.

UPDATE, Saturday, Aug. 11, 10:45 a.m.: Despite a cloudy start to the day, skies over Johns Creek are predicted to be mostly clear by 1 a.m., making way for a good view of the meteor shower.

Friday, Aug. 10, 4 p.m.:

The Perseid Meteor shower has some added bonuses this year: It will occur on a night when the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means the moonlight won't interfere with your view of the dashing meteors, according to Astronomy.com. And it's on a Saturday night, which means people can stay up late and sleep in the next day

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You don't even need a telescope. Just spread out a blanket, maybe a late-night picnic, kick back and enjoy!  

Perseid Meteor Trivia:

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  • These meteors travel 37 miles per second!
  • The best time to view will be 2 a.m. on Sunday.
  • The weather in Johns Creek, so far, is predicting clear skies, so you should have a good view.
  • The Perseid Meteors are cast-offs of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to Space.com.
  • The shower began July 23, and will peak on Saturday night. 
  • Look toward the Perseus constellation, which forms an inverted "Y" shape and is in the northeast.
  • Some of the meteroids are as small as a grain of sand, but they have the kinetic energy of a nuclear bomb!
  • If you see a very slow, bright object sailing across the sky, it's either a satellite or a Space Station.   

Where to view:

  • You don't need a telescope to view this celestial event, so just head out to a dark spot.

Will you be watching the Perseid Meteor shower? If so, tell us why in comments and if you snap a photo, upload it to the Patch Pics and Clips page.

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