The 2014 Perseid meteor shower has begun, and Toronto stargazers have a chance to see the show if a few rules are followed. The first bit of information to have in your possession is that the storm peaks today (August 12th). There will still be some significant activity on the 13th, but after that you'll probably want to wait for the Leonid shower in November. This year's Perseid event will be diminished by the light cast by the waning Supermoon, but that won't put a complete damper on the celestial fireworks.

Now that you know the date(s), the bad news is that if you live downtown, you're going to need to take a trip if you want to see some meteors. The light pollution downtown is simply too strong to allow for viewing of any significance. While you might get lucky and see one or two stars if you live far uptown or in the east or west end, it's really not worth the bother (especially with the nearly full moon). This is a year in which in it will pay major dividends to get as far away from the city as possible.

Given that the best direction to look is northeast, I'd suggest heading in precisely that direction if you want to maximize your viewing potential. Head to Uxbridge or Port Perry and beyond if you can impose yourself on cottage-owning friends. Outside of that, just get to where it's as dark as possible. This year is forecast to be a high intensity shower, so obstacles aside, it could be worth the effort.