August 12 - Tonight will be the last night to see the 2013 Perseid meteor shower at its peak.
Star gazers with clear skies were able to see the Perseids lighting up the skies over the weekend but for those who missed the peak, there is still a chance to catch a glimpse of the dazzling comic debris.
A live feed of the Perseid meteor shower can be seen in the live stream video below.
The Perseid meteor shower started on July 17 and although it will continue until August 24, it will be at its peak tonight.
This year's falling star show will be extra special, as the moon will be a crescent moon, and the absence of moonlight will make the skies extra dark. , The Perseids strengthen in number as the night deepens into midnight and "typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn," according to EarthSky.
The optimal viewing time to watch the meteor shower is in the predawn hours. The shooting stars will be visible until early Tuesday morning but viewing will be limited before midnight. The best way to view the meteor showers is to drive to a place without any city lights. No special equipment is required to view the meteor shower.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs in July and August as the earth orbits through the debris of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Chucks of debris - rocks made of iron-nickel and other minerals - gets pulled into the earth from our planet's gravity, which turns into balls of hot gas when entering Earth's atmosphere. The meteors entering the earth when darkness falls come from the constellation Perseus.
On August 12, when the meteor shower peaks at its brightest, over a hundred shooting stars, or "falling stars" will be seen per hour.
This year's star show is all the more special because the crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus will align together just as the Perseids peak. According to NASA, "The alignment occurs in the eastern sky before sunrise on the three mornings of highest meteor activity."
The meteors and comic debris entering into Earth are tiny. Some are as small as a grain of sand, but they are traveling at speeds of up to 160,000mph, which creates a "train or tail" when entering Earth's atmosphere.
Catholics refer to the Perseids as the 'tears of St. Lawrence'. The star show has been viewed for over 2,000 years.
Watch the live stream video of the Perseid Meteor shower at its peak below:
