Afton State Park, a mere 30 minutes from St. Paul, offered us excellent stargazing on August 5, 2005. That is my bet for a great place to view the upcoming meteor shower.

The major meteor showers for the remainder of 2006 are:

• The Aquarids, April 19 to May 28, peaking on May 6
• The Perseids, July 17 to August 29, peaking on August 12
• The Leonids, November 14 through 21, peaking on November 19, and
• The Geminids, December 7 through 17, peaking on December 14

More information on meteors, including a calendar listing all the known showers, may be found here.

I'm afraid I did not have a very good experience this year. Though the skies in mid-Michigan wee unusually clear, the moon was unusually large adn bright, washing out all but the brightest meteors. I only saw about three. But the shower continues for a few more days, though not at its peak. I'll go take another look tonight...

You are absolutely right. However, this thread was started in 2005 -- look at the date on the first post and on the subsequent comments. The Science Buzz Blog preserves all posts, going back to November 2004. Remember: the Internet is forever.

But never fear. In a comment above, Joe updated the information for 2007. The Perseids will peak on August 12 again this year, as they do evbery year (give or take a day).

Provided the skies are clear, it should be visible very low in the sky. Here's some info from NASA regarding the 2002 shower, but it should still hold true this year:

Because of the way the comet's orbit is tilted, dust from Swift-Tuttle falls on Earth's northern hemisphere. Viewed from Earth's surface, the meteors appear to flow from the constellation Perseus (hence the name Perseids). Perseus is easy to spot from Europe and North America, but it barely peeps above the horizon of, e.g., Australia and New Zealand. Southern hemisphere sky watchers will see very few Perseids.

The following is true no matter where you live: The best time to look for meteors is when Perseus is highest in the sky--between 2 a.m. and dawn.
On August 12th, set your alarm for 2 o'clock in the morning. Go outside; lie down on a sleeping bag or a reclining lawn chair with your toes pointed northeast; and gaze upward. Soon you'll see shooting stars racing along the Milky Way.

Repeat the procedure on August 13th. The shower's peak is long-lasting, and you're likely to count plenty of meteors on both days.

You might check with a local planetarium, astronomy club, or India-based astronomy website to find out where the constellation Perseus will be in the sky by you. In any event, you'll have the best viewing if you get away from city lights and in a dark, open field.

You can find more information about the Perseid meteor shower at the International Meteor Organization.