Look To The Sky This Weekend For The Perseid Meteor Shower

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CAPE CANAVERAL (CBSMiami/AP) — If you're out after dark this weekend, look to the sky for a celestial show.

It's time for the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Astronomers are projecting a slightly higher than normal rate of 150 meteors per hour across North America. But the bright moon will wash out the finer Perseids. So the viewing rate will be more like 30 to 40 meteors an hour. Peak viewing will be Friday night, early Saturday, Saturday night and early Sunday.

Last year's Perseids excelled with 200 meteors an hour.

But many consider this just an opening act. The real cosmic show will be the total solar eclipse on August 21st, it will be the first to cross the U.S. coast to coast in 99 years.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)