This week marks the annual return of the Perseid meteor shower, the most reliable meteor shower of the year, though the full moon may interfere with this year's display.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week in the overnight hours of Friday and Saturday (Aug. 12 and 13) just before the full moon hits its maximum brightness. If you're preparing to try to catch the light show, here are some meteor basics to get you started:

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Many people want to know where to look, specifically the location of the radiant. In fact, you want to look away from the radiant, as the longest and brightest meteors will be about 90 degrees away. The radiant is actually located now in the constellation Cassiopeia, not Perseus, with its characteristic "W" shape. Keep the bright moon at your back and look mainly to the northwest, below the summer triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/11/perseid-meteor-shower-to-compete-with-full-moon-on-friday/#ixzz1Uj9epKo8

Perseid Meteor Shower 2011: Why You Can't See The Celestial Event

It seems the moon's going to be putting a damper on Thursday's typically stunning meteor shower.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to catch it.

This year's summer meteor shower happens to coincide with a full moon, so it seems these little streaks in the sky will be virtually impossible to see. According to Discover Magazine, the moon's light will also wash out fainter stars in the sky.

Rebecca Johnson, editor of StarDate magazine, tells USA Today that "personally I wouldn't think it would be worthwhile to arrange a really big trip to go somewhere dark to view the meteors, because the Moon's going to wash most of it out."

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