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Spectacular Perseid meteor show expected this weekend

Astronomers expect this year's Perseid meteor shower to be spectacular, with up to four times as much activity as usual.

The peak of the annual show begins early Friday morning and continues through Saturday night. The shower isn't completely over until Aug. 24.

While a typical Perseid meteor shower might have 50 to 100 meteors per hour, this year's is expected to have 100 to 200.

The Perseid happens when Earth moves through the "shower" of debris left behind from the passing Swift-Tuttle comet. The debris burns up as it enters the atmosphere, creating glowing streaks in the sky.

This year's shower will be more dense because of the way the planets are aligned - Jupiter's gravity will concentrate the comet's particles in Earth's path, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com.

Still, to see the meteors, you probably will need to do more than just walk out to your back deck and look up. Here are some expert tips to help maximize your viewing:

Get up early. Really early.

There won't be much to see until after midnight, when the moon sets. Good viewing begins after 1 a.m. You should see meteors as soon as it's dark, but the best viewing is between 3 a.m. and dawn, according to NASA.

Get out of the suburbs.

While you might be able to see meteors in dark areas of the suburbs, optimum viewing is far away from suburban streetlights.

Give your eyes time to adjust.

This is an important and often overlooked tip: Give your eyes at least 30 minutes to adapt to the dark, and that means no cellphones. "The more your eyes can get used to the dark, the more you'll see," said Drew Carhart of Naperville, a founding member of Naperville's Astronomical Association who's been watching Perseid meteor showers for the past 45 years.

Lie down and wait.

Lie on your back in a place where you have an expansive sky view. Just sitting in a chair and leaning your neck back will not be comfortable and will limit your view.

Have patience.

If your plan is to go outside for five minutes and look up, you might be disappointed. Meteor patterns are random and chaotic. You might see nothing for 15 minutes, and then four in one minute. "People should relax as they watch. It should be a relaxing, nice thing," Carhart said.

Bring bug spray.

And wear long sleeves and pants. Unless you want to see more mosquitoes than meteors.

No telescope required.

The meteor shower can be safely viewed by the naked eye. And you don't need to look in any particular direction - the meteors will be everywhere.

Check the weather in advance.

Obviously, cloudy skies mean no show. Before setting your alarm for 1 a.m., check the weather here, http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/chicago-il/60666/weather-forecast/26514_pc.

Watch online.

If it's cloudy, or you can't get to a dark place, watch NASA's live stream of the meteor shower from Huntsville, Alabama, at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc.

Go to a Wheaton Perseid party.

The Adler Planetarium will once again host the popular party at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at Cantigny in Wheaton. The event features Adler astronomers, telescopes, storytelling, rocket building and more.

For tickets and information, go to www.adlerplanetarium.org/events/perseid-star-party-2016-08-12/. Advance ticket purchase is recommended, as last year's event sold out.

People will gather to watch the Perseid meteor shower at Cantigny in Wheaton. courtesy of Adler Planetarium
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