Make the most of summer’s final heat-soaked nights and catch the Perseids meteor shower. The Perseids are widely considered the best, brightest and most reliable meteor showers of the year – sparkling through the sky with an average rate of 80-120 meteors per hour!

Although the Perseids shower technically begins July 17 – it doesn’t reach its peak, (the time when the most meteors should be visible), until Aug. 11 through 13.

What causes the Perseids?

Every year, the Earth passes through debris left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth. With a nucleus about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide – it has left behind quite a bit of dust and debris. As the Earth passes through this debris, particles breach and shoot into the Earth’s atmosphere – creating the annual Perseid meteor shower.

If you find happen to find yourself on a cloudy night but still want to see the showers, head over to NASA’s ‘Watch the Skies’ blog to see the meteors in action.

Don’t forget that you’re supposed to make a wish upon a shooting star! Or rather, stars! That’s a lot of wishes!