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With clear skies and new moon, Michiganders will likely have great view of Perseid shower

perseid meteor shower in New Mexico, 2013
Mike Lewinski
/
Flickr - http://j.mp/1SPGCl0
The Perseid meteor shower can be seen across North America. This picture was taken in New Mexico during the 2013 Perseid shower.

The Perseids are coming!

North America's favorite meteor shower will be most visible to Michigan stargazers on August 11, 12, and 13.

The biggest question is: will the weather be on our side for this celestial show?

Stateside spoke with Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University about what we can expect.

Plenty of us have looked up at the night sky and seen those streaks of light we commonly refer to as “falling stars.” But what are you actually seeing?

“For these meteor showers, we’re passing through a bit of debris that’s in the earth’s orbit, and we’re kind of picking it up like bugs on a windshield,” Schmoll explained.

Listen above to hear Schmoll’s best tips for seeing the Perseids, where in space the meteor debris is coming from, and how the annual event got its name.    

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