Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower Streak Across the Night Sky this Weekend!

Look up and enjoy the show this weekend. The Perseid meteor shower is set to peak late on Sunday night, which means that you may in for a spectacular sight--as long as those pesky clouds don't get in the way.

Every August, the Perseid meteor shower makes its appearance in our night skies and this year its set to peak overnight on Sunday and Monday (Aug. 11-12). At that time, stargazers can expect to see as many as 70 meteors per hour, according to USA Today. While technically the very peak of this show will occur during the daylight hours across North America on Monday, the public will probably still be able to get a good view of the meteors as long as they continue to scan the skies, according to Space.com.

Keep in mind that the best times to see the meteors will be once the moon has set. At that time, the sky will be darker and it will be more likely that you may spot one of the meteors streaking across the sky. At mid-northern latitudes, moonset will be around 10:15 p.m. local time on Sunday evening. Since dawn doesn't break until 4:30 a.m., this means that there will be ample time to spot some of the show.

The Perseids take their name from their apparent origin in the constellation Perseus. From there, the bright meteors streak across the sky in the form of brilliant fireballs. These fireballs are actually dust grains that are about one-fifth of an inch across that originate from the Comet Swift-Tuttle's debris trail, a comet that circles the sun once every 133 years.

"Get out of the city and the lights to give yourself a chance to see them," said Michael Bakich of Astronomy magazine in an interview with USA Today. "There will be a dozen 'ooh' moments in that hour. Ones when everyone will say, 'Did you see that?'"

This year will actually be a prime year to view the Perseids. Next year the shower will be overshadowed by a bright waning gibbous moon that will flood the night sky after midnight. So get out of the city lights, look up and enjoy what promises to be a spectacular show.

Want to see the meteor shower for yourself? Check it out on the video below, courtesy of YouTube.