It's Backyard Campout Time Again: View the Meteor Shower from Your Yard

Time for sleeping bags and s'mores on the deck again: the Perseid meteor shower makes an appearance in the night sky after Mr. Moon sets around 2 a.m. You can use your deck, patio, yard, balcony, porch or rooftop garden (that would be my choice) as a makeshift campground.

Like other meteor showers, the Perseid Meteor Shower was named after the constellation from which it first appeared to have come -- Perseus, according to Nick Greene, About.com's Guide to Astronomy. In the past, Perseid has peaked at 400-1,000 meterorites lighting up the sky in one hour. Tuesday morning's peak will be closer to 60 meteorites per hour, says Greene.
Photo by Lisa Hallett Taylor