The Perseid meteor shower will start July 17, bringing thousands of shooting stars to skies across the Northern Hemisphere. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

The best time to view the Perseids is between midnight and dawn, according to Hankey. However, one of the the best days to see the Perseids is on Wednesday, July 30, because two other meteor showers, alpha Capricornids, Southern delta Aquariids, will be happening at the same time, according to Lunsford.

Skygazers have a lot to look forward to over the next month. A couple of dueling meteor showers will grace the skies later in July, and they will be joined by perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year. Perseids are known for their bright fireballs and plentiful meteors. The show starts on Thursday, July 17, and will run through Aug. 23.

Meteor showers happen when dust from a passing comet or asteroid passes through the Earth's atmosphere. The tiny particles - roughly the size of a grain of sand - vaporise creating visible streaks of light. In the most dense parts of the dust stream more meteors are visible.

This year, the Perseid meteor shower will be active from Thursday, July 17 through Aug. 23. Here's what to know.