The Perseids, also known as the "Tears of St. Lawrence" or Dmugħ ta' San Lawrenz - as the phenomenon falls on the feast of Saint Lawrence - is a popular, moderate ZHR meteor shower associated with the passing comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseid shower is so called because its radiant lies in the constellation Perseus.
Though the comet is nowhere near Earth, the comet's tail does intersect Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling at 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a tiny piece of dust gives the appearance of the vivid streak of light which is seen when a meteor disintegrates.
An observer in the Northern Hemisphere can start seeing Perseid meteors as early as July 23rd, when one meteor every hour or so may be visible. During the next three weeks, there is a slow build-up. It is possible to spot five Perseids per hour at the beginning of August, and perhaps 15 per hour by August 10th. The Perseids rapidly increase to a peak of 50-80 meteors per hour by the night of August 12/13th, and then rapidly decline to about 10 per hour by August 15. The last night meteors from this shower are likely to be seen is on August the 22nd, when an observer might see a Perseid every hour or so.
Sellarellium + CS4: Look East on the night of the 12th August and don't blink! 
On the night of the 12th August, one must look East to see the Perseus Shower. A standard rate of 80 ZHR is expected, but this can vary wildly from year to year. The Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) is the amount of meteors visible per hour when the radiant is at the Zenith (the highest point in the sky).
More details: http://meteorshowersonline.com/perseids.html
Some new(ish) images taken by myself: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24850591@N03/
Astronomical Society Activity:
Perseid Observing Session
Date: Wednesday 12 August starting at 9 pm
Location: Irdum il-Maddona, L-Aħrax. limits of Mellieħa
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