Stargazers assemble: Perseid meteor shower set for best view
The celestial fireworks will be on full display over Ireland and August 12 is the best time to see them.
The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. The meteor shower will be on full display on August 12. Pic: Samuel de Roman/Anadolu via Getty Images
The meteors are mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, but they burn up as they hit the Earth's atmosphere at 36 miles per second to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.
They are called Perseids because they seem to dart out of the constellation Perseus.
Peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1,648C to 5,537C as they hit the atmosphere.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Resident Astronomer at Blackrock Observatory in Cork Danielle Wilcox said the best time to view the spectacle is after sunset and before the moon rise as it will be the darkest time.
She added that there are around 12 meteor showers every year but Perseid has the most and brightest meteors. Stargazers will want to get their telescopes out. Pic: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Wilcox said: 'These are very predictable, they happen every year at the same time.
'What is happening is we have comets that come from the outer solar system and they come in from the sun and they come near the sun and start to break up.
'So you have all this debris that comes from the comet, so you will have ice, rock and different things that are coming from the comet.
'And it leaves this cloud and it is in the same spot in space, so as we are going around the sun, Earth slams into this cloud and passes through all this debris in August every year.'
Wilcox reassured anyone who will miss the meteor shower tonight or tomorrow, not to worry as it continues for the next week.
Perseus is now visible in the north-eastern sky but for the best chance of seeing the meteors, experts say it is worth turning towards the east-south-east, looking towards Saturn, or more to the north, looking towards the constellation of Ursa Major.
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Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Peak of meteor showers has passed, but still a chance to see shooting stars and here's how
Every August, Earth makes contact with debris from comets passing near the sun. As the fragments enter the atmosphere, they burn brightly, creating an array of colourful streaks in the night sky. Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine David Moore told the Irish Independent pictures of the meteor shower's peak have been flying in, and the Perseids will still be visible in Irish skies for a few more nights. "The peak was expected to be last night, and on the peak night you see 20 times more shooting stars than normal. On the night after and the night before, it's about half that rate. "That's still 10 times more meteors than on a normal night, so it's still well worth watching. Tomorrow night, it will be half that again, so a quarter of the peak, but still five times more meteors than normal. "I'll certainly be watching again tonight, tomorrow, and probably the night after.' To get the best viewing experience, stargazers should wait until the sky is fully dark, face away from the moon to avoid glare and make sure there are no obstructions along the horizon. Mr Moore said a phenomenon known as a 'double planet' is also visible in Irish skies at the moment, with Venus and Jupiter lined up together and appearing bright in the sky. "Jupiter is actually five times further than Venus, so they're not really passing close to one another. This morning, you had Venus blazing 100 times brighter than the brightest star in the sky and Jupiter sitting just above it, a little bit dimmer, but still dozens of times brighter than the brightest star." Having used computers to look ahead to 2050, Mr Moore said there will not be another time when Jupiter and Venus will line up this closely and be visible over Ireland, making this a 'once in a century or once in a lifetime event'. "It really is spectacular to the naked eye. We've had some pictures sent in that were just taken with a phone camera, so there's no special equipment needed. "I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime and I've been watching the sky for decades.' The double planet will continue to be visible for the next few mornings and Mr Moore said the best time to look at them will be in the early hours of the morning. "About 4am is the best time every morning during the coming week. Next Wednesday, they'll still be close and the moon will join the scene. The only things brighter than Venus and Jupiter are the sun and the moon. That's going to be a very special morning to watch.' Big events in the world of astronomy are coming like buses according to Mr Moore, with another chance to see something special coming on Sunday, September 7. "On September the 7th, there's going to be a total eclipse of the moon visible from Ireland, so when the moon rises that evening there will be a blood moon.'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
‘Take some time to look up': Perseid meteor shower could be visible tonight
One of the most eagerly awaited astronomical events of the year – which promises one or two meteors or 'shooting stars' a minute – is set to dominate Irish skies on Tuesday night. Gazers of the Perseid meteor shower could see about 60 meteors an hour darting across Tuesday's night sky – weather and light pollution permitting. Met Éireann forecasts clear spells for most, though cloudier conditions are expected to build in the south. In urban areas, where light pollution can hinder sight of the night sky, those hoping to catch a glimpse can still expect a decent show, said astronomer Danielle Wilcox from Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork. READ MORE 'It gives some of the brightest meteors, so you can be in the city and see some of those bright ones,' she said. The Perseid meteors are caused by dust particles shed by the comet, Swift-Tuttle. The comet, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun, was last seen in Irish skies in 1992. At this time of year, Earth moves through this debris cloud, making one of the most celebrated astronomical events and arguably the most predictable. Particles from the debris cloud subsequently burn up on entering Earth's atmosphere and create flashes of light. While the shower is active for several weeks, it peaks on the night of August 12th. 'It's such a special time of the year,' Ms Wilcox said. With a caveat to ease heightened expectations, she said the public would not see 'thousands of stars falling from the sky', but could see one or two meteors a minute. The Perseids take their name from the constellation of Perseus, from where they appear to spread in all directions, and towards which Ms Wilcox advised looking on Tuesday night. A meteor streaks across the sky over West Virginia during the annual Perseid meteor shower in 2021. Photograph: Bill Ingalls/Nasa There are about a dozen meteor showers each year, but 'tonight in particular is the night to go out'. 'It's a really good meteor shower in particular because it gives us a lot of meteors per hour compared to other meteor showers,' she said. With about 60 meteors an hour, 'you're almost guaranteed, if you sit out and look up for a few minutes, to see a meteor,' she said. 'That's what's so exciting about it, especially for people who have never seen 'shooting stars', this is your chance to get out there and see that,' she said. The number per hour can rise to 100 for those under 'really, really dark skies'. She said August's full moon, known as a Sturgeon Moon, might hinder sight of the less bright meteors, but it was 'luckily' becoming less bright and was rising later. This provided an optimal window, between sunset and moonrise, for stargazers to look north and catch a glimpse of the shower. 'Take some time to look up,' she said.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
Stargazers assemble: Perseid meteor shower set for best view
Stargazers should get their telescopes ready as the Perseid meteor shower is on course to reach its peak tonight and tomorrow. The celestial fireworks will be on full display over Ireland and August 12 is the best time to see them. The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. The meteor shower will be on full display on August 12. Pic: Samuel de Roman/Anadolu via Getty Images The meteors are mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, but they burn up as they hit the Earth's atmosphere at 36 miles per second to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky. They are called Perseids because they seem to dart out of the constellation Perseus. Peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1,648C to 5,537C as they hit the atmosphere. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Resident Astronomer at Blackrock Observatory in Cork Danielle Wilcox said the best time to view the spectacle is after sunset and before the moon rise as it will be the darkest time. She added that there are around 12 meteor showers every year but Perseid has the most and brightest meteors. Stargazers will want to get their telescopes out. Pic: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Wilcox said: 'These are very predictable, they happen every year at the same time. 'What is happening is we have comets that come from the outer solar system and they come in from the sun and they come near the sun and start to break up. 'So you have all this debris that comes from the comet, so you will have ice, rock and different things that are coming from the comet. 'And it leaves this cloud and it is in the same spot in space, so as we are going around the sun, Earth slams into this cloud and passes through all this debris in August every year.' Wilcox reassured anyone who will miss the meteor shower tonight or tomorrow, not to worry as it continues for the next week. Perseus is now visible in the north-eastern sky but for the best chance of seeing the meteors, experts say it is worth turning towards the east-south-east, looking towards Saturn, or more to the north, looking towards the constellation of Ursa Major.
