Waxing crescent creates perfect Perseid meteor conditions

The world will be treated to a special show on Sunday as the Earth passes through the trail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, an annual occurrence known as the Perseid meteor shower.

The display is the result of pebble-sized pieces of stony grit in the comet’s debris hitting our atmosphere, where they burn up.

The Moon will be a waxing crescent and absent from the sky for most of the night, so it will be dark enough to see up to 60 meteors an hour.

To watch the shower, head to the desert after midnight, throw down a mat and look to the skies.

The meteor shower will be visible to the naked eye after midnight in areas without light pollution.

August is an important month in the traditional Emirati almanac, too.

According to the 365-day Al Drour calendar, which is informed by the stars, the appearance of the Suhail star on August 22 traditionally heralded the end of the pearl-diving season and the start of moderate weather.

Dubai Astronomy Group will host a Perseid Meteor Shower Party in Al Qudra Desert from 10pm until 4am. This includes a talk and the chance to view Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, stars, globular clusters and nebulae through telescopes.

It costs Dh150 for adults, Dh70 for children under 13 and Dh50 for group members.