Shooting stars to put on a show in UAE skies this week
Fireballs will shoot across the UAE skies this week as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak tomorrow night.
Up to 60 meteors, or shooting stars, per hour will fly across the night sky, creating a stellar show for spectators.
The showers began on July 17 but will be at their most intense between tomorrow and Thursday, when they will be visible in many different parts of the world.
The meteor shower is caused by comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862.
It leaves behind a long trail of dust and debris during its 133-year orbit around the Sun.
When Earth passes through the comet’s tail each year, it creates the meteor shower.
The debris collides with the atmosphere and disintegrates, causing the colourful show.
The comet made its closest fly-by to our planet in 1992 and the next really close one will be in 2126.
Dubai Astronomy Group has organised a gathering this week for star-gazers in Al Qudra desert – an ideal location because of the reduced light pollution.
“The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe. They are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors,” the group said.
“Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.”
Weather on Wednesday night is expected to be a bit hazy, with the second quarter moon visible.
But astronomers expect the larger and brighter meteoroids in the showers to still be visible.
The next meteor shower will be the Geminids in December, which can feature as many as 120 meteoroids an hour shooting across the skies.
Debris from a comet collides with the Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrates, causing the colourful show