And the Northern Lights may also make an appearance
All you stargazers are in for a treat this weekend as up to 100 shooting stars, aka bits of debris breaking off of comets and entering in our atmosphere, will streak through the sky each hour as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
The Perseid meteor shower is a result of debris flying off the Comet Swift-Tuttle and burning up as it hits the Earth’s atmosphere, and is named after the Perseus constellation where they appear to originate from. It’s been active since 17th July and will tail off on 24th August but the best time to see the shower – when the Perseids will be brightest and most frequent – will be the nights of 11th & 12th and 12th & 13th August. You may be able to start spotting the Perseids once the sun has set but the best time to see them is between midnight and 5.30am.
You don’t need any specialist equipment to view the meteor shower but ideally you want to be in an area with clear weather and with minimal light pollution. You should also give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness – so that means no looking at screens.
And it’s not just the Perseids to look out for. Forecasters are predicting that the Northern Lights may make an appearance in northerly parts of the UK, peaking on the night of Saturday 10th August, thanks to a solar storm. So if you missed the aurora borealis when it lit up the skies earlier this spring, you might be in with another chance to see it – if you’re able to get north and if the weather remains clear.
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