Ready to set your alarm?

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which NASA has called the best meteor shower of the year — and which inspired John Denver to write “Rocky Mountain High” more than 50 years ago — is underway now. It’s expected to peak Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

The astronomical show often generates as many as 50 to 75 shooting stars per hour over California and much of the United States. This year, however, the view will be limited by a nearly-full moon on the peak night.

“You’ll still be able to see meteors,” said Ben Burress, staff astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center in the Oakland Hills. “You might miss some of the fainter meteors, but the moon is not going to overpower the major meteors of the shower. It’s nice to have a very dark sky. But if your

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