A display of celestial fireworks is expected to light up the night skies as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust, producing up to 100 meteors every hour.
If skies are clear, the Perseid meteor shower should be visible across the UK from around sunset on the night of August 12 until the early hours of August 13.
The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.
The meteoroids from the comet, mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up as they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 36 miles per second, to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.
Peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1,648C to 5,537C as they hit the atmosphere.
The meteors are called Perseids because they seem to dart out of the constellation Perseus.
Although they peak on the night of August 12, Daniel Brown, associate professor in astronomy at Nottingham Trent University, said it is worth keeping an eye out for a secondary peak, should it occur.
He said: “The meteor shower slowly builds up from mid July to then reach its peak activity at 100 per hour on August 12.
“It then reduces until the mid-end of August.
“However, in reality, the activity can show more complex variation which means the peak might not be the only one.
“The years 2018 and 2020 had some increased activity a day or two after the main peak.
“So in addition to meteor showers not being a one-evening thing – slowly increasing and then decreasing over days – we might see that the most active evening might be followed by another one a day or two later.”
To make the most of the meteors, experts say observers should avoid well-lit and built-up areas and try to find unobstructed views.
Prof Brown said: “Best time this year during the main peak is the second half of the night, that is the early hours of August 13.
“Find a place that is dark, away from direct light.”
He said it will take viewers up to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
Prof Brown said: “Bring along patience, and it is best to observe a big range of the sky as meteors will be visible all over.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel