Summer is the season for shooting stars, and this year could be among the best as the annual Perseid meteor shower promises to be better than usual. Anyone gazing at the summer night sky for even a short length of time now through the end of August is likely to spot a few streaks of otherworldly light. In general, the Earth encounters richer meteoric activity during the second half of the year.
The best meteor display of the summer comes during the second week of August, during the Perseid event. At its peak around the nights of Aug. 11 and 12, the shower can produce 50 to 100 fast, bright meteors per hour for any observer with a wide-open view of a dark sky.
This year will be an excellent one to watch for the Perseids, partly because bright moonlight will not interfere as in past years, and also because Earth might encounter a heavier concentration of meteoric debris, astronomers predict, leading to better than normal meteor activity.
Perseid meteors are bits of debris -- typically no larger than sand grains but sometimes up to marble size -- left behind during repeated passes of comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet crosses the inner solar system once every 128 years as part of its elongated orbit around the Sun.
Because most meteors in a shower are tiny, there is little threat to spacecraft, and virtually none to people on the ground.
Forerunners of the Perseid shower began to appear around July 17. Try watching for them after the waxing moon has left the sky, leaving the predawn hours dark. You'll see only a few per hour at best, but the numbers will begin to ramp up during the second week of August.
At the height of the event, you might spot one to two per minute, and sometimes even more meteors can grace the sky during brief bursts.
The last Perseid stragglers may still be spotted as late as Aug. 24.
The only equipment you'll need are your eyes and a modest amount of patience. Find a location away from bright lights and with a wide view of the sky. Bring a blanket or lounge chair so you can relax while looking up.
Early morning hours generally provide the best viewing, typically offering up twice as many meteors as in the evening.
翻譯：
從現在到8月底，你只要凝望夏季的夜空，哪怕只是很短的一段時間，都很可能觀察到超凡脫俗的星光劃過長空時留下的痕跡。通常來說，每年的下半年，地球會遭遇更多的流星活動。
夏季最精彩的流星表演將出現在8月的第2周、英仙座流星雨爆發期間。這次流星雨的高峯期大約在8月11日和12日夜間，屆時在視野開闊的黑色夜空下，每個觀測者每小時都能看到50到100 顆飛馳而過的、閃亮的流星。
天文學家們預測，今年是觀測英仙座流星雨效果極好的一年，一方面是因爲明亮的月光將不會像往年那樣妨礙觀測，另一方面因爲地球可能會遇到大量流星殘骸，這使得流星的活動明顯強於往年。
英仙座流星雨就是維弗特-圖特爾(Swift-Tuttle)彗星不斷經過地球時留下的片片殘骸，這些殘骸通常還沒有沙粒大，但有時也有彈子球那麼大。維弗特-圖特爾彗星每隔128 年穿過太陽系內部一次，這是它繞太陽轉動軌道延長的一部分。
因爲流星雨中的很多流星都非常小，所以對太空飛船幾乎沒有威脅，事實上也決不會傷到地面上的人。
英仙座流星雨中的“先行者”已於7月17日左右開始出現。當上弦月落山後，在黎明前幾小時的黑暗中，試着去觀測它們，每小時最多隻能看到幾個，但到8月的第二週，（流星的）數量將開始明顯上升。
在這次流星雨的高峯時期，你可能每分鐘就能看到一到兩顆，有時甚至更多的流星在空中瞬時燃燒，裝點着夜空。
直到8月24日，可能還能看到英仙座最後的“落伍者”。
你唯一需要的設備就是你的眼睛和適度的耐心。找一個遠離亮光、視野寬廣的地方，帶上一條毯子或一把躺椅，你就能輕輕鬆鬆地仰望天空了。
清晨的幾個小時通常是觀測效果最好的時候，特別是那時看到的流星要比晚上多一倍。
shooting stars：流星
Perseid meteor shower：英仙座流星雨
otherworldly：超凡脫俗的
elongated：延長的
waxing moon：上弦月，盈月
straggler：落伍者，流浪者
（中國日報網站譯）