Q. With the meteor shower going on, how do they know how many meteors are going to be seen?
A. Normally the number of meteors seen depends on the richness of the meteoroid stream in space, the date, sky conditions, light pollution and a person’s eyesight. Unfortunately, this year the Perseid shower is mostly washed out by the large, gibbous moon, which doesn’t set until 1:35 a.m. on the peak morning of Aug. 12. Perhaps 10 to 20 shooting stars per hour may be seen in moonlight this year from Aug. 11-13 from dark sky locations. Without moonlight, a dark sky may reveal upward of 40 to 50 meteors per hour, but only for those looking long after midnight when the moon has set, and then far away from city lights.Flandrau Science Center Web site: http://www.gotuasciencecenter.org/