It’s set to be one of the highlights of the stargazing calendar.
The sky over Ireland and the UK is to be lit up by up to 100 shooting stars tonight, as the height of the Perseid meteor shower occurs.
Known as one of the annual highlights of the stargazing calendar, debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle will result in hundreds of bright meteors illuminating Irish skies.
According to Astronomy Ireland Magazine, this year’s Perseid meteor shower will be all the more impressive, as the moon is out of the way, making for perfect viewing conditions.
Asking the public for their help in observing the shower, Astronomy Ireland have urged onlookers to count the amount of meteors they see every 15 minutes for a special report that will appear in the organisation’s magazine.
An image of the 2019 Perseid meteor shower. (Credit: Getty Images)Shooting stars to light up Irish skies:
“You do not need any telescopes or binoculars, just normal human eyesight,” the magazine said.
“A few clouds won’t spoil the view especially as you’ll have hours of darkness to see them, and this shower is known for producing some brilliant fireballs”.
The best time to view the shower is said to be between the hours of 12am and 5.30am, when the sky is at its darkest.
Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) offered additional advice on how best to experience tonight’s shower, saying, “Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so that you can catch more of the fainter meteors.”
Further details on Astronomy Ireland Magazine’s report and how to send in your own counts can found online, at www.astronomy.ie.
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