Several hundred shooting stars will explode and shower across the sky Tuesday night.

Earth will be making its annual pass through the Swift-Tuttle comet tail, amateur astronomer Dan Neal said. As the planet rotates through the tail, sand-grain sized particles will enter the eastern sky, creating shooting stars.

“You don’t need binoculars or a telescope,” Neal said. “You just need a good view of the sky.”

The light flashes will begin at around 11 p.m. There should be anywhere from 20 to 50 shooting stars per hour until dawn, he said.

Neal will have telescopes provided by Southwestern Oregon Community College set up at the look out on the North Spit, north of North Bend for the public viewing of the planet Jupiter and other deep space features during the shower.

He said the event is quite popular and spectacular. 

“Bring the kids,” Neal said. “We’re there to answer questions.”

The phenomena is annual because when a comet passes through Earth’s orbit, a dust trail is suspended in space and Earth spins through it, he said.

SOCC guest speaker Dr. Reginald Dufour from Rice University will give a more in-depth explanation about this particular occurrence and others. The talk will take place at 7 p.m. in Eden Hall room 1 at the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus in Coos Bay.

For more information, call Dan Neal at 404-5086.