LOOK UP, OKLAHOMA: THE PERSEIDS ARE SHOWING OFF TONIGHT

OKLAHOMA (TUC) — Y’all, as most of you probably know by now, we love space news and pretty much anything that gives us that little bit of “look up at the sky and just get lost in space” kind of magic.

And tonight through Thursday night, we have a chance to catch one of the best meteor showers of the year, at least in our opinion. The Perseids are putting on their annual show, and there’s just something pretty dang cool about stepping outside, looking up and catching a meteor streak across the sky.

This year is especially good for viewing because we’re getting a new moon, which means there won’t be much moonlight around to wash out the night sky. Score!

You may be able to catch a few meteors once the sun goes down and the street lights come on, but if you really want to see them show off, the later you stay up, the better your chances should be. Some of the best viewing happens during those really dark hours before sunrise, so if you’re a night owl or don’t mind setting an alarm, try stepping outside around 3:00 a.m. That should be one of the best times to look up and hopefully catch quite a few streaking across the sky.

Under the right conditions with a nice, dark sky, the Perseids can produce around 100 meteors an hour at their peak. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re going to walk outside and see 100 meteors flying over your house. Light pollution around you can make them a little harder to see, but you should still have a pretty good chance of catching a few. Pretty magical, right?

Sometimes the coolest things happening around us don’t cost a dime. You just have to remember to look up. Happy stargazing, y’all. Here’s hoping we all get to catch a little bit of magic in the sky tonight.