The annual Perseids are predicted to peak on the night of Aug. 11, with as many as 100 meteors per hour visible from a dark site.
Meteors appear as streaks of light zipping across the sky.
Meteors, often referred to as shooting stars, occur when material, generally dust or sand sized, collides with the Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction. The Perseids are traditionally one of the best annual meteor showers. Pull up a chair and a blanket for several minutes or several hours and stare at a nice dark patch of sky, and you'll likely be rewarded by seeing some meteors. MARS is in the southwest in the early evening. It looks like a bright yellowish-orange star.