Perseid’s perseed shower is expected to pick up last night, with shooting stars and firebeams visible through the early morning hours, if it allows the water.
NASA predicts rates of 50 to 100 shooting stars per hour – but the bright moon, which rises at midnight, is likely to reduce visible meteors to 15 to 20 per hour.
According to NASA, the celestial representation is associated with the comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle which orbits the sun once every 133 years. Every August, the Earth “passes through” a cloud of the comet’s pun. These pieces of ice and dust – usually more than 1,000 years old – burn in the Earth’s atmosphere to create one of the best meteor showers of the year. ‘
The best time to see the Perseids will be after midnight, although some meteors may be visible as soon as 10 o’clock
The shower will probably be most visible between 2am and noon (local time) on the morning of August 12th. Find a dark place, avoid bright lights (yes, that includes your phone) and get acclimatized to the night sky.
Your eyes should be at peak viewing capacity after about 30 minutes; although the moon may block some of the darker meteors, NASA says.
If you are not an early bird, you can try watching the sunset (at 9pm) on the 11th, although you may not see as many Perseids then.
