According to NASA, stargazers may this Thursday night (12 August 2010) see one of the most spectacular views of a meteor shower in recent memory.
The Perseids meteor shower is due to peak late Thursday night, and since the new moon will have set, there's hope of seeing lots of "shooting stars".
It's called the "Perseids" because they appear to stream in from the direction of the constellation of Perseus but in fact they can appear in any part of the sky, coming from that direction. The shower could produce a meteor or more per minute at its peak, some of them producing ragged 'smoke' trails which linger a while.
If you can, get to a place out of town with less street lighting (urban street lights brighten the sky and dim those shooting stars).
Look towards the North East for the best chance of seeing them (but they can appear in any part of the sky). If you happen to know the straggly constellation Perseus then that's the one to look for. It's near the 'W' shaped constellation Cassiopeia. Or if you happen to know where the Andromeda galaxy is it's in that general area as well. If all you can manage is the Plough then it's a wee bit beneath the handle.
In Israel the ideal place to go is the crater at Mitzpe Ramon, but hopefully this shower will yield shooting stars bright enough to be seen in urban areas too.
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