In the predawn hours early Wednesday morning, a parade of planets including Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury will be visible. Binoculars will help to see Mercury and Jupiter, which will sit very low on the predawn horizon. The current sunrise time in West Palm Beach is 6:50 a.m.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight from Wednesday, Aug. 12 into the early morning of Thursday, Aug. 13. Up to 30 to 50 meteors are anticipated per hour. The meteor shower coincides with two other active meteor showers, allowing for an even better opportunity to catch a shooting star. A new moon offers darker skies and better viewing.
A total solar eclipse will take place in portions of Europe on Wednesday, visible for portions of Spain, Greenland, Iceland and Russia. This is the first total solar eclipse in Europe since 1999.