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The Perseid meteor outburst did not disappoint! Look for more meteors tonight

The Perseid meteor shower, which gets its name because it appears to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, is known for the high number of spectacular meteors on display.

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Sky watchers agree: It was totally worth staying up all night to watch the 2016 Perseid meteor outburst.

NASA officials counted up to 170 meteors per hour at the peak of the outburst early Friday morning.

“Our meteor cameras saw over 160 Perseids brighter than planet Jupiter,” said Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.

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At the Cottonwood Spring Campground in Joshua Tree National Park, temperatures were still hovering above 90 at 8 p.m., but that didn’t stop avid sky watchers — like us — from stretching out beneath the stars to enjoy the show.

Within minutes of our arrival, we caught a huge shooting star as it gracefully arced across the night sky. It was a spectacular beginning to a night that just kept getting better.

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As the evening went on, sporadic shouts of “Whoa!” and “Did you see that one?” could be heard throughout the campground as the Perseids put on a dazzling display.

There were short little zippy ones, bright fireballs that looked like rockets, and some that traced long, elegant trails through the night.

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Even during a lull in the action, there was still a lot to see. The Cottonwood Spring Campground has one of the darkest skies within 160 miles of Los Angeles, and even on a night with a half-full moon, the Milky Way was visible stretching across the star-strewn sky.

If you weren’t able to get out of town to watch the outburst, don’t despair. Cooke said the show will continue at least through the early hours of Saturday morning.

“There should be plenty of Perseids for folks to see tonight if they have clear skies,” he said. “Not as many as last night, but it should still be a decent show.”

Do you love science? We do! Follow us at @mdaley_ and @DeborahNetburn and “like” Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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