Star showers set to meteor expectations in clear skies
Perseids spectacle STARGAZERS have been urged to look skywards tonight for the biggest astral event of the year.
Ireland will be able to see the Perseids shooting star show with the naked eye in perfect conditions in the coming two days – with meteors expected to rain down every minute.
Astronomer David Moore said: “This is a celestial fireworks display provided free of charge by mother nature.
“We urge everyone on this island to spend at least an hour or two on Sunday and Monday nights witnessing this natural spectacle.”
The annual shower is caused by sand grain-sized particles that fell off comet Swift-tuttle centuries or millennia ago.
Every August the Earth ploughs through the orbit of this comet sweeping up the dust at over 100,000 miles per hour.
The shooting stars are tiny particles that vaporise instantly when they hit the planet’s atmosphere and burn out 50 to 100 miles above Ireland – 10 times higher than a jet aircraft.
The display is expected to be at its peak tonight.