Oregonian photographers Jamie Francis, Bruce Ely and Allison Milligan picked the Alvord Desert in southeast Oregon to watch last year's biggest meteor shower event, the Perseides.

Meteors are notoriously difficult to photograph, because of their mercurial nature, but the trio came back with some incredible photos anyway. Have a look at them again (above), or read the original report on OregonLive.com.

The Alvord Desert is a 400-mile drive from Portland, but you may not have to go that far to see this year's biggest meteor shower. Weather forecasts are looking favorable for the meter shower coming overnight Friday to Saturday, at least according to the weather reports on Portland television Monday. Of course, it's still four days away . . .

The Earth will pass through a cloud of debris from comet 209P/LINEAR, producing a never-before-seen meteor shower, according to Jim Todd, the director of Space Science Education at Portland's Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. He noted that NASA is expecting a super sky show, with meteor rates exceeding 200 per hour. Some forecasters have mentioned the possibility of a meteor storm, with 400 per hour.

To view this Camelopardalid meteor shower, also referred to as "209P-IDS," choose a location with a wide view of the sky and few obstructions. If viewing from the city, observe where artificial lights obstruct the least.

Meteor watching is an unaided-eye event, though binoculars can be handy for watching trails that may hang in the sky for one or more seconds after a meteor's passage. At its waning crescent stage, the moon will be a non-factor.

The best time to watch is Friday evening, May 23, until morning twilight on Saturday, May 24. Many people will be out camping then, at the start of the Memorial Day Weekend. Midnight to 2 a.m. is forecast as the peak for the shower.

To find the meteors, cast your gaze over a large portion of the northern sky. Some meteors will have short paths, while others will have much longer ones.

-- Terry Richard