The Perseid meteor shower is starting. Here's when it will peak, how to watch in Vermont

If you're a sky-watcher, there's something you'll want to know about.

Aside from the full "Buck" moon coming up on July 21, another spectacle is starting to light up the night sky: the annual Perseid meteor shower.

One of the best meteor shows of the year - partially because the summer weather is often makes for a more comfortable viewing conditions than some of the winter shows - it brings a dazzling number of shooting stars to wish on.

Whether you have a wish you need granted or just want to watch the stars, here's what to know.

When is the Perseid meteor shower? When will it peak?

It started on July 14, and it runs through Sept. 1, 2024.

Space.com noted that although the event will run into September, "the shower will be at its peak on the night of Sunday, Aug, 11 through Monday, Aug. 12."

Interestingly enough, last year's Perseid meteor shower also peaked on the same dates.

What are Perseids?

Tim Brothers, technical instructor and observatory manager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told Wicked Local last year that Perseids are a type of meteors that can be seen each year around the same time.

"The Perseids originate from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle," Brothers said in the past interview. "As it has made several passes through the inner solar system, the comet has left small particles behind. As the Earth orbits, it passes through that debris cloud and those particles burn up in the atmosphere."

According to NASA, Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle.

"(It) takes 133 years to orbit the sun once," NASA noted on its website. "Swift-Tuttle last reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 1992 and will return again in 2125."

How fast do the Perseids meteoroids move?

Swift-Tuttle is a large comet — its nucleus is 16 miles across, according to NASA, noting that is more than twice the size of the object believed to have caused the demise of the dinosaurs.

"A typical Perseids meteoroid (which is what they're called while in space) moves at 133,200 mph when it hits Earth's atmosphere (and then they are called meteors)," NASA reports. "Most of the Perseids are tiny, about the size of a sand grain. Almost none of the fragments hit the ground, but if one does, it's called a meteorite."

How to watch the Perseids shower

As always, dark skies make for better stargazing.

"We typically suggest getting away from cities and find a open field or hilltop to lay out under the stars and wait for the show to really peak at the late evening or early morning hours," Brothers said in a past interview with Wicked Local. "In New England, heading for a local conservation area or park that keeps lighting off at night is ideal. Another option is a coastline away from the larger cities — the benefit being that the constellation where you will see most of the 'shooting stars.'"

Brothers has always maintained that it helps to have a good telescope or pair of binoculars when trying to see astronomical events.

"Make sure you turn off any exterior lighting, stop looking at any devices and give your eyes time to adjust to the dark," he said. " It takes about five minutes to mostly adjust and about 30 minutes to fully adjust to the nighttime environment."