The Perseids are coming...

as Earth begins to move through debris shed by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The annual meteor shower should peak sometime on 12 August but full enjoyment this year may be dampened by the glow of the gibbous Moon.

MORE: Geogal, a regular reader and commenter on this blog, points to this from Spaceweather.com:

"This year's Perseid meteor shower could be even better than usual. "A filament of comet dust has drifted across Earth's path and when Earth passes through it, sometime between 0800 and 0900 UT (1 - 2 am PDT) on August 12th, the Perseid meteor rate could surge to twice its normal value," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office."

UPDATE: From the Bu bro this morning via e-mail... "FYI, I just returned last night from being away to YNP [Yellowstone National Park.] Saw an incredible fireball shooting east to west over Lamar Valley. Longest, brightest, greenest, smokiest I have ever seen, with some fragmentation at the terminus." Cool! Maybe a harbinger of this years' shower.