The Perseid meteor shower will burst into light this August as Earth passes through the long trail left by Comet Swift-Tuttle — and this year, it's slated to put on a spectacular show.According to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke, the Perseids are perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year. They will be in "outburst" in 2016, which means they'll appear at double the usual rates."This year, instead of seeing about 80 Perseids per hour, the rate could top 150 and even approach 200 meteors per hour," Cooke said. It's the first such outburst since 2009.This year should be better than average because of Jupiter's alignment with both the Earth and the Perseid stream. Before intersecting Earth next month, the tiny Perseid particles will have passed close enough to the biggest planet in our solar system to be shifted closer to the Earth's orbit.While a single observer might see as many as 60 to 90 meteors per hour during a normal Perseid shower, thanks to this gravitational boost from Jupiter, the meteor rate this year might be noticeably higher.space.comRead more here: http://tinyurl.com/jrtdcztWhen Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light.Swift-Tuttle's debris zone is so wide that Earth spends weeks inside it.Indeed, it is not unusual for skywatchers to see a few Perseids streaking across the midnight sky as early as July.Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide.It last passed nearby Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126. But it won't be forgotten in the meantime, because Earth passes through the dust and debris it leaves behind every year, creating the annual Perseid meteor shower.Rates are highest, however, in August when Earth passes through the heart of the debris zone.Meteors from comet Swift-Tuttle are called Perseids because they seem to fly out of the constellation Perseus.This arrangement of stars, which represents an ancient hero from Greek mythology, rises in the Northeast around 10 pm local time.As Perseus rises and the night deepens, meteor rates will increase.The best time to look starts around midnight.Meteors will be seen until dawn brightens the sky on Saturday morning, August 13th, when Perseus is near its highest point in the sky.For best results get away from city lights.The darkness of the countryside multiplies the visible meteor rate 3 to 10 fold compared to city views.Eyes on the SkiesClips, images credit: ESO, ESA/HUBBLE & NASAMusic credit: YouTube Audio Library1) Impact Prelude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100617Artist: http://incompetech.com/2) Drifting 2 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Artist: http://audionautix.com/