Keeping My Eyes on the Skies .....

There's some good news, and some bad news about this year's Perseid Meteor Shower. But I'll be keeping my eyes on the pre-dawn skies, nonetheless.

According to this report from EarthSky Communications, the legendary shower - consistently rich and reliable - will peak on the mornings of August 12 and 13, 2009 ... the good news.

"It does not disappoint – unless, of course, there are clouds – and except in years when moonlight washes the skies at the time of the Perseids peak," EarthSky goes on to tell us ... the bad news ... the former is a possibility, and the latter is definite.

Nonetheless, I plan to get up and head out-of-town at oh-dark-thirty, and see what the West Texas skies have to offer. Fortunately, in this part of the state, one doesn't have to go too far to find dark night skies.

"Face northeast, look overhead before dawn," this post from EarthSky recommends. "The meteors will be raining down from the top of the sky."

Facing northeast? You'll also be facing Pennsylvania ... which is a good thing!