OAKLAND, Calif. - The Perseids meteor shower will peak in the early morning hours on Tuesday into Wednesday – and if you're looking to view the cosmic event from the Bay Area, inland areas at higher elevations are your best bet, KTVU meteorologists say.

What is a meteor shower?

As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year, it passes through debris left by passing comets, and sometimes asteroids.

The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.

Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a "shooting star."

You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor s

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