Credit: NASAThe Perseid meteor shower period began on July 17 and will continue through August 24. The Perseids, whose peak occurs in mid-August, are considered the best meteor shower of the year, according to NASA. They are one of the most abundant meteor showers, with between 50 and 100 meteors visible per hour. Comet Swift-Tuttle last visited the inner solar system in 1992. Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle.