When it comes to meteor showers, the Perseids pop. It's not just about the quantity of meteors (as many as 100 per hour) and their showy quality but also their superb timing.

Meteor showers like the Perseids often gradually increase in intensity and then peak, before rapidly falling off. In other words, the curve is not symmetrical, and now is the time to start looking.

The next full moon will be the August sturgeon moon, set to rise on Aug. 9, amid the Mercury retrograde and just before the Perseid meteor shower peaks.