Perseid Meteor Shower to Light Up the Sky

The Perseid Meteor Shower 2012 hits its stride late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

According to NASA, expect up to 100 meteors per hour. As an extra bonus, a waning crescent moon means that moonlight won’t completely overwhelm the meteors as they shoot across the sky.

The incredible sky show is the result of the Earth’s orbit through a cloud of debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.

Lucky for us, the best views will be in the northern hemisphere, according to NASA.

Where will you watch the meteor shower? Tell us in the comments.

The Howard County Conservancy is hosting an event called "Night Sky/Dark Sky: The Perseid Meteor Showers" from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Learn about stargazing, meteors and reducing light pollution with Towson University astrophysicist Alex Storrs and Stardoc Joel Goodman, a Glenelg dentist who is active in the astronomy community.

Prefer to watch on your own? Here are some tips:

• You don't need a telescope; just head outside to a dark spot.
• Know when to look: late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

If you snap a photo,  gallery!