The Perseids are one of the great meteor showers every August. Generally, the Perseids are considered a North American event. But if you’re in South American and north of about 35 degrees south latitude, then you can also see the Perseids. Buenos Aires is located around 34 degrees south latitude to give you a location reference. Of course, with the bright lights in Buenos Aires you’re not likely to see many meteors. So, you’ll need to get away from the city and to the north. The peak of the Perseids meteor shower in 2005 is August 12, a Friday. That’s a great time for meteor watching, as it will be a moonless sky. So, perhaps it’s a good time to get away from Buenos Aires for a long weekend to a place that has a dark sky. Or, if you’re traveling in the north of Argentina or spots further north, then do yourself a favor and plan to get up very early on the morning of August 12. The Perseids flow from the constellation Perseus, hence their name, located in the north/northeast sky. Perseus doesn’t rise above the horizon until around 3am, Argentina time, but from then until dawn you should have a good meteor show. In South America, the Perseids will stay fairly low in the sky but you should still be able to see the meteors as long as you’re further north than 35 degrees south latitude and in a dark sky. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a fireball - a huge meteor crossing the sky. I saw one in the Florida Everglades one night and it was absolutely incredible.

The Perseids meteors are caused by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. While the Perseids peak on August 12, you should be able to see a fair number of meteors during the week before and after.