Brightest meteor shower of the year to light up skies TONIGHT
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and fastest meteor showers of the year and occurs when Earth passes through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
The rocks collide with our own atmosphere at high speeds of between seven and 45 miles per second, causing the meteors to vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light, also known as shooting stars.
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According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the average speed for a Perseid meteor is 36 miles per second.
The air in front of the meteor is squashed and heated to thousands of degrees Celsius.
The smaller meteors vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light. Larger meteors can explode as fireballs.
The Perseid meteor shower will remain active and visible in the skies until August 24, it is expected to peak on August 12. It will bring up to 100 meteors to the night sky.
A clear sky and the darkest possible conditions – away from artificial light – will create the best possible conditions for catching a glimpse of the display.
You will also need to give your eyes time to adapt to the lower light levels.
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