Seeing stars

Tonight's the night of nights for meteor showers in North America, as the Perseid meteor shower will put on its annual show. The best way to see the shooting stars, which will number about 200 per hour during the peak hours, is to head out of town and away from the city lights. I have gone north on U.S. Highway 95 between Las Vegas and Indian Springs, pulling onto Corn Creek Road that heads to the Desert National Wildlife Range, or gone west on State Road 159 (West Charleston Boulevard) past Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Here's a map of the Las Vegas area (bit.ly/uBE5p). Reduce or enlarge it as needed to find the roads that work best for you.

Unfortunately, the bright moonlight will block some of the show, which should peak between 11 p.m. today and 5 a.m. Wednesday. A bright streak across the Western sky at about 8 p.m. caught my eye last night as I was sitting on my patio. It was just a preview of things to come tonight. The meteors will continue to streak across the sky Wednesday night, too, but at a lesser rate.

For more on the Perseid show, visit the space.com pages highlighting meteors and tonight's (http://www.space.com/spacewatch/090807-perseid-meteors.html)