If you were up really early this morning, you might have been treated to an interesting light show: the Perseid meteor shower. 
This meteor shower is an annual event, provided free of charge by the comet Swift-Tuttle, and is (unfortunately) weather-dependent. If it's cloudy or raining, you won't see it. If there's too much background light, including moonlight, streetlamps and other city lights, you won't see it. You need clear, dark conditions to view the up to 80 meteors per hour that can be seen across the northeastern sky.
If conditions are right, my family has been known to set up tents in the backyard and camp outside with hopes of seeing meteor showers before going to sleep. We can see the meteor shower fairly well from our backyard on a clear night. I remember, as a teenager, walking across the street late at night with my dad. We lived across the street from the school, and there weren't as many trees to obstruct our view as there were in our yard. So we walked over to the schoolyard to look for meteors.
COUPON TIME
Stargazing is as good an excuse as any to plan a campout. Here are some great deals on equipment you can use:
$5 off orders of $25 or more at the Discovery Channel Store 
Click "Enter a Coupon" in your shopping cart and use coupon code EML2009.
Valid through: December 31, 2009
See other Discovery Channel Store coupons!
Free Shipping on orders over $50 at Edmund Scientifics 
Valid online only. Use promotion code GEDMU50.
Valid through: August 31, 2009
See other Edmund Scientifics coupon codes!
15% off orders of $100 or more
20% off orders of $125 or more at SierraTradingPost.com 
Enter keycode ALVAUGUST9 in your shopping basket.
Valid through: September 1, 2009
Valid online only. Excludes current BarnBurner offers, clearance items, bikes, bike accessories, boats, and sporting optics.
See other Sierra Trading Post coupons!
Free Shipping on orders over $50 at BackCountry.com 
Use link above. Contiguous U.S. only.
Valid through: August 31, 2009
Excludes kayaks.
See other backcountry.com coupon codes!
5% off sitewide at 6ave.com 
Use coupon code AFL5.
Valid through: August 31, 2009
Online only. Excludes: Apple, Bose, Samsung, Velodyne, and Control 4 Products.
See other Sixth Avenue Electronics coupons!
Columbia Outlet Sale:
Up to 80% off at Altrec.com 
Valid through: August 16, 2009
See other Altrec coupon codes!
