That's Hot! Fiery Meteor Shower Last Night
Last night's meteor shower was the best in years
Getty Images
More than 100 meteors per hour streaked across the sky last night as the Earth passed through the dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to the Adler Planetarium.
Discovered 147 years ago, the Swift-Tuttle comet is a giant iceberg of ice, rock and dust particles. Those dust particles -- a.k.a. meteoroids -- have slowly cracked off from the comet over the years, forming a trail of debris that Earth’s orbit intersects about once a year.
The shooting starts reached their peak last night from 2:00 am to dawn, and although the best viewing has passed, you can still catch a glimpse of the meteors in the coming days, if weather permits.
If you want to try and sneak a peak, open dark fields away from city lights are the best places to go.
Posted Tuesday, Aug 11, 2009 - 11:37 AM CST
