Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, but the moon will steal some of the spotlight

KAMLOOPS – If you need an excuse to stay up late tonight, the Perseid meteor shower is it.

The meteor shower is an annual spectacle that illuminates the sky when Earth passes through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle from July 17 to August 24, with the peak night being tonight, August 12.

You can expect to see 10 to 15 meteors per hour, according to space.com.

Tonight the shower is at peak activity, but it will be slightly dampened by a big, bright moon. There will still be some visible comets, and you won't need any telescope or binoculars to see the shooting stars.

Star gazers in Kamloops, Kelowna and Penticton will have to put up with a partly cloudy sky throughout the night, while those waching in Vernon will get a mostly clear sky until some clouds roll in around midnight, according to The Weather Network. There isn't much of a risk of rain in any of these cities tonight.

Grab a blanket, some cocoa or wine, and get lost in the stars tonight.

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