The annual Perseid shower occurs each August when the Earth passes through dust left by comet Swift-Tuttle, which last flew around the sun in December 1992. Best viewing time will be 1 AM. This year should be good because there won't be moonlight to obscure the show. The Baltimore Sun has a nice write up.
Also, the International Space Station is visible at night. Go the NASA web site to see when it will next cross over your night sky.
I got to see an ISS flyby last year. It was pretty cool. Surprising how bright it is, given how far up it is.
One of my favorite things to do when I'm in dark rural areas is to go satellite hunting. On my first trip to Puerto Rico, I was able to spot several in just a few minutes of looking. It's surprising just how much we've put up there.
Posted by: tgirsch | August 14, 2007 at 15:32
I think I have seen satellites before and just didn't realize what they were. I thought they were some kind of slow moving falling star that moves all the way across the sky.
Posted by: Mr. Dawntreader | August 14, 2007 at 22:49