The Perseids meteor shower passes through the sky once a year, and Chicagoans can catch a glimpse of the show when it strikes next week.
Known to regularly produce a substantial number of bright meteors, the shower is forecast to peak Thursday night and carry into Friday morning, according to Adler Planetarium.
Under the darkest sky — away from city lights — there could be 60 to 100 meteors seen per hour during the shower’s peak, the planetarium said on its website.
A full moon, however, is also expected to fall the same night, which will likely cause some of the fainter streaks of light to fade from view.
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The planetarium suggests that sky-gazers start looking for meteors several hours after midnight Friday, as the full Moon will be lower in the sky, and the shower’s radiant point will be higher.
Onlookers facing the eastern sky will likely get a better view of the show, according to the planetarium.
NASA considers the Perseids as one of best meteor showers of the year.
