The Perseid meteor shower, considered by stargazers to be the best of the summer, is set to peak this week. The shower will peak on the night of Aug. 11-12 alongside a full moon. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are actually tiny dust and particles from the tail of the comet as it orbits around the sun.