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Perseid meteor shower expected to be the best show in years

This Wednesday night into Thursday morning is going to be the best time to see the king of all meteor showers.

NORFOLK, Va. — It’s going to be one of the best cosmic shows in years and it’s happening this week.

Experts say everything is lining up perfectly for the Perseids meteor shower, often called the king of all meteor showers in the northern hemisphere.

Meteoroids are any sort of small rocky or metallic debris traveling in outer space. When they enter the earth’s atmosphere, we call them meteors.

Meteors start burning material and the fire they make is what we see streak across the sky as they fall.

You can see them any given night, but there are windows when it happens more often, and these are called meteor showers.

Perseid meteors are especially beloved because they’re fast and bright and plentiful, falling 50 to 100 times every hour.

So, why is this year going to be such a great light show?

It’s all about the moon.

On the shower’s peak night, that’s Wednesday night into Thursday morning this week, the moon will be just 13 percent illuminated - the darker the better for viewing.

As long as the clouds hold off, this could be one for the record books.

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