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WATCH: Possible Perseid meteor caught on Ring camera shooting over Rocklin

The biggest meteor showers of the year are already here and peak mid-August

ROCKLIN, Calif. — A video in Rocklin captured what appears to be a Perseid meteor shooting across the night sky over the weekend. Anna Childs captured the shooting meteor on her ring camera overnight. 

The earliest sighting, according to NASA, was on July 26.

The “Perseids,” appear in the night sky around mid-July to mid-late August each year. Perseids get their name from the direction the meteors come; the constellation Perseus. 

Perseid meteors are debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. The earth orbits the comets path each year during the summer, allowing for the comet’s debris to shoot across earth’s atmosphere. The actual comet orbits the between the sun and the orbit of Pluto every 133 years. The debris left behind is what earth encounters. 

The best viewing of the meteors in the northern hemisphere is when the sky is the darkest. This is during the crescent moon, which will set early on August 11. 

If there is cloud coverage where you are, your next best night will be August 12 to the morning of August 13. Peak viewing hours are from midnight to dawn. Areas with the least amount of light pollution have the best view of these meteors. 

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