The Perseid meteor shower, a stunning celestial display, is set to peak next week, lighting up Ireland’s skies with shooting stars.
People in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to watch the meteor shower with naked eyes, and the best time for Irish stargazers to catch the event is on the night of 12 August into the early hours of 13 August when the sky is at its darkest.
Background
The Perseids, which peak during mid-August, are considered the best meteor shower of the year because it produces bright meteors and is one of the most active.
The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers (50-100 meteors seen per hour) and occur with warm summer nighttime weather, allowing sky watchers to easily view them.
The average speed for a Perseid meteor is 36 miles per second. The air in front of the meteor is squashed and heated to thousands of degrees Celsius. The smaller meteors vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light.
Perseid meteor shower activity on the sky above church in Brsec, Croatia
It is called the Perseids because the meteors seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus, which is itself named after the Greek mythological hero of the same name.
The best time to catch the meteor shower
The peak of the Perseid meteor shower is expected to be on the night of 12 August into the early hours of 13 August.
The best time to catch the Perseid meteor shower is from midnight to dawn, when the part of Earth youre standing on will be heading into the meteor stream in space.
Those living in the Northern counties will have the best view, but those living elsewhere around the country should still be able to catch a glimpse of the spectacular show.
For those living in the capital, this year the moon will set in the Dublin area at 10:47 pm on 12 August, so there will be no lunar glare to hamper the show.
How to watch the meteor shower
You dont need a telescope or any special equipment to view the Perseid meteor shower and the best way to catch the meteor shower is to reduce the amount of light pollution in your field of view.
The Milky Way along with traces of the passing Perseid meteor shower visible in the sky over a solar tower of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory under the Russian Academy of Sciences, located in the village of Nauchny, Bakhchisaray District, southwestern Crimea
This could mean heading out to the countryside, a nearby park or even do something as simple as turning your back to street lamps if you are not able to go anywhere.
When you find the perfect spot, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so that you can catch more of the fainter meteors.
Give yourself at least an hour of observing time, because the meteors in meteor showers come in spurts and are interspersed with lulls.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
