Croatians refer to the Perseids as the "Tears of St. Lawrence" since August 10 is the date of that saint's martyrdom.
Hundreds of fireballs and shooting stars will dart across the sky over the weekend, putting on a spectacular light show for stargazers. The annual Perseid meteor shower is considered to be one of Mother Nature’s most dazzling celestial displays.
Every year beginning in July and peaking in August the Perseid meteors appear to sail into earth's atmosphere. The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in the activity being between August 9 and 14, depending on the particular location of the stream.
The Perseid meteors tend to be very fast - some 59 km/s. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky, but because of the path of Swift-Tuttle's orbit, Perseids are primarily visible in the northern hemisphere. As with all meteor showers, the rate is greatest in the pre-dawn hours since the side of the Earth nearest to turning into the sun scoops up more meteors as the Earth moves through space.
Astronomers expect up to 200 meteors per hour in short bursts of up to 15 minutes or so. But many of the fainter meteors will simply not be visible due to moonlight, and rates will go down even more for those in urban areas. More likely a typical observer under reasonably dark skies might hope to see a meteor every couple minutes when the bursts come, and fewer during lulls.