The Perseids meteor shower — the ultimate meteor shower — has started this week. But with all of that wildfire smoke, can you see the shower?
What to know about the Perseids meteor shower
The shower will be active from July to August, reported NASA. Specifically, the showers began on July 14 and will run through the end of August.
- Meteors can be seen beginning around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. Hours before dawn are the best time to see the meteors, though, according to the Deseret News.
- Viewers can see close to 100 meteors per hour when the conditions are right. The shower is often considered one of the largest showers, as the Deseret News reported.
Can you see them with the wildfire smoke?
Per Yahoo News, most meteor showers can be seen when you’re away from the city lights and where there’s a clear view of the sky.
So what does that mean for Utah? Per KSL-TV, the air quality is still packed with smoke, and that will continue throughout the next few days. Thicker smoke has moved out of the area, but the haze remains.
- “The skies have cleared quite a bit and I think it looks good the next several evenings,” said Grant Weyman, a KSL Weather meteorologist.