The Perseid Meteor Shower is a highlight every August for stargazers and astronomy enthusiasts.

The annual meteor shower usually produces between 50 and 100 meteors every hour, but experts at NASA are predicting an "outburst" of 150 to possibly 200 per hour this year.

The Perseids are expected to peak Thursday night, and as long as there are clear skies, it should be especially dark thanks to the moon setting close to 1 a.m.

The next obstacle will be finding clear skies, which shouldn't be a problem in the West and in parts of the Midwest and the Plains.

The Earth passes through the path of Comet Swift Tuttle every year between mid to late July and late August, and the meteors we see are dust particles left behind after the comet leaves.

Earth passes through the densest and dustiest part of the comet Thursday night.

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To view the meteors in action, get away from cities and other artificial lights and look to the north. It'll be even darker once the moon sets for the night.

If you're lucky, you'll be able to see two or three meteors every minute.

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