The Nebraska Sky Will Light Up With Shooting Stars And A Nearly Full Moon This Week

If you're an avid astronomer or a casual observer of the stars, get to a place away from civilization tonight. The annual Perseid meteor shower is peaking, and you'll want to see the spectacular show.

Stargazers look forward to the Perseid meteor shower every year. It's the most dramatic show the night sky has to offer, sometimes displaying more than 100 meteors per hour.

As the "shooting stars" rapidly streak across the night sky, they typically have long tails. This makes for some endlessly impressive sights every summer.

In 2019, the show will, unfortunately, be a little less spectacular than usual due to a bright full moon. The light from the moon will drown out the smaller meteors, but the larger, brighter ones should still be visible.

If you want to watch the meteor shower, your best bet is to head to a dark place away from light pollution. Luckily for us, we have an outstanding dark sky area near Valentine that's perfect for stargazing. If you can make it there, it's totally worth it.

If you can't travel to Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area tonight, you should still be able to watch the meteor shower if you head away from the cities and into darker rural areas. Set out early since your eyes need about 30 minutes to get used to the dark. Put your phone away because looking at the screen will slow down your eyes' adjustment to the dark.

The shower peaks tonight, August 12, 2019. The first meteors should start to race across the sky between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., but the best time to see them will be between 2 a.m. and sunrise. If you can't get out tonight, don't worry - some meteors will likely still be visible every night through the end of August.

Have you captured some stunning photos of the annual Perseid meteor shower from Nebraska? We'd love to see your pictures in the comments!