Please share your eclipse photos with us! (Image credit to Bill Ingalls/NASA). If you have a cool shot of the 2021 Perseid meteor Shower, please let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.Peak activity for the Perseid meteor shower's annual performance is now at its peak, which occurs late tonight (Aug. 11,) through the early hours Friday morning (Aug. 13,).The Perseids will appear as darts from a region in the sky near the famed double star cluster in Perseus' northern region. They will be rising to the northeast of the sky during the night hours tonight.Sources have claimed that the shower's peak was Wednesday night to Thursday morning. However, my column here recently pointed out that the International Meteor Organization would indicate that the Earth will experience maximum activity between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET (1900-2200 GMT) on August 12, which corresponds to the late afternoon hours in North America.Perseid meteor shower 2021 webcast: How to view it live tonightAlthough meteor activity is expected to be very good on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the IMO forecast indicates that meteor activity will be just a little bit stronger for Thursday night and Friday morning.Do not be discouraged if you felt a little gloomy last night. Depending on the weather, you may have another chance to get out of your misery tonight or tomorrow.The Perseid meteor shower can also be viewed via webcasts, which are available from NASA, McDonald Observatory, and Virtual Telescope Project. Our complete Perseids 2021 webcast roundup can be viewed here.Sky & Telescope magazine has a map that shows you where to look to see the Perseid meteor Shower of 2021. They radiate from the Perseus constellation of the northeastern skies. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope illustration)The best views, and not-so good viewsThe map is attached. The weather conditions have been divided into three groups: "Good" (0-33% cloud coverage); "Fair", (34-66% cloud coverage); and "Poor" (66-70% cloud cover).A map of visibility for the peak of the 2021 Perseid meteor Shower. Image credit: Joe Rao/Space.comIf you are looking for the Perseids peak in 2021, then the U.S. has the best chances of seeing it. Clear skies can be found over the Pacific Northwest and California, the Intermountain Region and the Upper Midwest. Also, central and eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and most of Arkansas will have clear skies. Another zone with good weather prospects is the Carolinas, Georgia, and central Florida peninsula.These regions should have mostly clear skies in the early hours of Friday. A marine layer may cause fog and low clouds along the Pacific coast. This situation can be rectified by travelling inland, where fog and cloud cover will end and the skies will clear.Partially cloudy skies, but still providing good breaks or intervals with generally clear sky, will be seen over the central High Plains and parts of west and northern Texas, central Oklahoma and the Deep South, including the Florida Panhandle and the lower Ohio Valley and Appalachia.This map shows the cloud cover forecast for the U.S. at 2 AM EDT (0600 GMT) Aug. 12, 2021. Image credit: NWS/NOAAA cold front will bring cloud cover and scattered thunderstorms across northern New England, New York, and south across the lower Great Lakes to the nation’s heartland. This will make it difficult to see the Perseid show. People who live in South Florida could also be prevented from seeing the midsummer shooting stars due to the clouds and precipitation that will accompany Tropical Storm Fred, which is coming from North Cuba.We stress that the national outlook is a broad-brush view of sky conditions across the country. We recommend that you consult the most current forecast from your local National Weather Service office (NWS). This will give you a more specific and localized outlook. Click here to visit the NWS organization page. You will find where you are located (i.e. Central, Eastern Southern, Western), and then locate your state and the forecast office that covers your area.Haze and smokeWildfires have been raging for several weeks in parts of the US and Canada. This has created a thick layer of smoke and haze across much of North America. Even in areas with mostly clear skies, this has made skywatching difficult.Depending on how thick the smoke and haze is, viewers may notice the light from the sun and moon changing colors. Because stars are being shone through smoke and fog, they appear dimmer. This may also explain why meteors are so rare. The smoke and haze layer could make it impossible to see fainter streaks.A good deal of the Perseids shine brightly and will likely still shine through. However, it all depends on the local conditions. Click here to access an interactive smoke and fire map that shows where the smoke layer is denseest.We wish you all the best and have clear skies.Joe Rao is an instructor at the Hayden Planetarium in New York. He is a writer on astronomy for Natural History magazine and the Farmers' Almanac, among other publications. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Spacedotcom
