Super "Shooting Star" Show In The Sky This Week

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - There will be a super celestial show going on over our heads this week.

It's time for the annual Perseid meteor shower and this year the rate of 'shooting stars' is expected to be double from what we've seen in past years. NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office said in a statement that "Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour."

So why the change?

Every August, Earth travels through trails of debris left over from comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. Usually, we just skirt the edges of the debris field. This year ,however, Jupiter's gravity has pulled the debris stream a little closer and the Earth will pass through the middle of it, according to NASA.

Perseid meteors move through space at 132,000 miles per hour. At this speed, even little bits of dust can create a nice bright streak of light when they collide with our atmosphere. NASA says the meteors pose no threat to our planet as they tend to burn up 50 miles above the surface.

For the best view of the Perseid shower go outside between midnight and dawn on August 12th. Get as far away from all artificial lights as you can. The morning of August 13 should be pretty good, too.