The annual Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its peak overnight.

The meteor shower is expected to be at its best late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, with the best view around 2 a.m. in Central Florida and 3 a.m. in the Tampa Bay area.

Stargazers could see up to 50 meteors an hour throughout the night, with as many as 100 meteors per hour at the peak.

Astronomers say the lack of moonlight will help people see more of the Perseids.

However, while meteorologists say a large part of the United States will have unusually clear conditions during the shower, Bay area stargazers may find their viewing stymied by Mother Nature.

"There will be clouds overnight," meteorologist Josh Linker said. "However, there will be some breaks in the clouds at times for some areas. If you are able to go out and see the Perseid meteor shower then consider yourself a bit on the lucky side tonight."

The best way to see them is to lie down and look up, preferably in locations away from light pollution. Some recommended places in the Tampa Bay area include:

  • Beaches with sea turtle protection ordinances in place, as these beaches have low lighting aimed at protecting sea turtles during their nesting seasons; 
  • The park near the airfield on Davis Islands in Tampa;
  • The Sunshine Skyway bridge rest area;
  • The Withlacoochee River Park in Dade City. (Arrive before the entrance closes at dusk. If you're not camping, stop at the pay station, pay $2 and get a card that must be displayed on your rear-view mirror.)

If you are unable to see the meteor shower live, NASA will host a free webcast of the meteor shower starting at 10 p.m. 

The meteor shower consists of pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle hitting Earth's atmosphere at more than 133,000 mph and burning up, but unlike a comet, meteors do not have tails. They shoot across the sky and are gone within seconds, whereas a comet has a tail and can be visible for weeks or months.

Once you've found your viewing area, stay put for a while and let your eyes adjust to the night sky. Keep focused on the sky, and you may possibly see over 50–100 shooting stars in an hour, or a few meteors racing across the sky every couple of minutes.

According to Starry Night Education, in order to snap a photo of the Perseids, "point your camera toward the northeast, and leave the shutter open for at least a minute. Do this several times in succession, and you're almost certain to catch a few Perseids."