Western Mail

STUNNING METEOR DISPLAY

- Carly Squires Reporter carly.squires@walesonlin­e.co.uk

WELSH skies were lit up on Saturday night by a stunning display of beautiful Perseid meteors.

Skygazers sat on beaches, hills and beyond in their warmest clothing and watched the celestial fireworks as the Earth flew through a cloud of cometary dust.

The Perseid meteors, shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, stage their show every August and are among the brightest of all shooting stars.

A clear sky gave most parts of the UK an opportunit­y to spot the meteors, said Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna. He said: “There were some good cloud breaks, so many areas would have had a good chance to see them during the early hours. It would have been pretty good viewing.”

Starry-eyed wanderers took to social media to share their excitement at witnessing the natural showcase.

One said that she spotted two meteors and it was “fantastic”, while another lay in the middle of a road to watch the Perseids.

Another caught sight of one meteor in north Wales while “enjoying a whisky in the garden”.

One keen photograph­er, Gavin Smith, managed to capture some breathtaki­ng moments of the shower in Swansea.

The 33-year-old took the photograph­s laying in his garden in Killay dressed up in a warm jacket and blanket.

He said: “Last night was great! It’s rare that the sky is clear when something good is going on in the sky!

“I’ve tried in vain to catch meteor showers before but never really for any good results, total luck of the draw with this stuff.”

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 ?? Phil Taylor ?? > The Perseid meteor shower over Anglesey
Phil Taylor > The Perseid meteor shower over Anglesey
 ?? Gavin Smith ?? > This long exposure image was taken in Swansea on Saturday
Gavin Smith > This long exposure image was taken in Swansea on Saturday

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