Experts predict weeks of rare meteor showers after stunning display – here's how Scots can see them
The mysterious object was spotted across the Central Belt, with people from Glasgow to Edinburgh all reporting their sightings.
5
The meteor was spotted over Scotland
Credit: Edinburgh Airport
5
The bright orange light was seen soaring across the skies on Wednesday night
Credit: Edinburgh Airport
5
Experts revealed there will be more chances to see it this month
Credit: Edinburgh Airport
5
Locals were baffled after spotting the bright light soaring through the sky
Credit: Edinburgh Airport
It raced across the night sky leaving a bright amber tail in its wake.
Edinburgh Airport even shared images from their security cameras of the meteor soaring over the skies.
And experts were quick to confirm what they had all seen was a meteor.
Meteors are small pieces of interplanetary debris which enter the earths atmosphere and burn up.
But if anyone didn't get a glance and is feeling some cosmic FOMO then they don't need to worry.
The meteor everyone saw on Wednesday was part of the Alpha Capricornids, and they will be seen again this month.
The gathering of galactic debris soars through space and is visible when it hits the atmosphere during the summer months.
It is known for producing slow-moving and very bright fireballs as they hit earth's atmosphere and burn up.
Their spotting season normally begins on July 3, the day when most people saw the first sighting.
This year's season is expected to end on August 15 but there is one day when the season will peak around July 30.
Incredible moment a fireball comet is spotted racing past stunning aurora towards Earth
Experts have now revealed the best way for anyone to get out and try to see them.
Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Jessica Lee said: "This meteor shower is known for producing fireballs.
"Fireballs are exceptionally bright meteors, normally caused by larger sized fragments of the parent comet.
"This shower is linked with debris from a comet called 169P/NEAT. Mostly the objects causing fireballs still burn up in our atmosphere and don't reach the surface, but it is possible that parts survive.
"Fireballs are exciting to witness but not incredibly rare - it's just that most of the approximately 50 tons of material that fall through the Earth's atmosphere each day do so over the sea or over less populated areas."
How to see a meteor shower?
IF you want to get a glimpse of the meteor showers flying over Scotland's skies, then experts have combined these top tips to make sure you don't miss out. Plan ahead - Make sure you check the weather before you go. Severe or harsh weather isn't ideal for meteor spotting so try and find somewhere with calmer conditions if you can.
Make sure you check the weather before you go. Severe or harsh weather isn't ideal for meteor spotting so try and find somewhere with calmer conditions if you can. Save the date - If you cannot find the right conditions on the peak of the storm then try heading out on some of the days before. You are much more likely to see a storm on the days leading up to the peak than the days after.
If you cannot find the right conditions on the peak of the storm then try heading out on some of the days before. You are much more likely to see a storm on the days leading up to the peak than the days after. Find somewhere dark - Try to reduce the amount of light around you. This could mean heading out to the countryside, a nearby park or even turning your back to street lamps if you're not able to go anywhere.
Try to reduce the amount of light around you. This could mean heading out to the countryside, a nearby park or even turning your back to street lamps if you're not able to go anywhere. Let your eyes adjust - Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark conditions. This means you could be able to spot more faint meteors .
Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark conditions. This means you could be able to spot more faint meteors STAY OFF YOUR PHONE - Letting your eyes adjust means staying off your phone. The light from the screen will stop your eyes from adjusting. You can always check your messages when you tell people about the meteors you saw.
Letting your eyes adjust means staying off your phone. The light from the screen will stop your eyes from adjusting. You can always check your messages when you tell people about the meteors you saw. More sky the better - Meteors can appear in any part of the sky so the more of the sky you can see, the better. Find an area with a clear view of the horizon away from trees and buildings.
Meteors can appear in any part of the sky so the more of the sky you can see, the better. Find an area with a clear view of the horizon away from trees and buildings. Use your eyes - Binoculars and telescopes are not necessary as they will restrict the size of the sky that will be visible to you.
Binoculars and telescopes are not necessary as they will restrict the size of the sky that will be visible to you. Use an app - If you aren't sure about where you should go to see a meteor shower, try using a stargazing app to find the perfect spot.
She added: "The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is active between the July 3 and August 15.
"The peak of this shower will be on the 30th July, but don't expect hundreds of shooting stars, as it has a maximum of around 5 meteors per hour.
"If you do want to try and catch a shooting star you'll need to go outside when it's dark and clear, and ideally somewhere with a clear view of as much of the sky as possible.
"Meteor showers are always a waiting game, so bring a hot drink, something comfortable to sit on and wrap up warm if needed!"
Not only will Scots be able to see the Alpha Capricornids, but it will overlap with the Perseids, one of the most dramatic and highly anticipated meteor events of the year.
The Perseids will be visible from July 17 until August 24.
If conditions are ideal then stargazers could see up to 150 bright fast moving meteors flying through the sky every hour.
Scottish skywatchers were also treated to the Lyrid meteor shower in April and the Quadrantid meteor shower in January.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
39 minutes ago
- STV News
How and where to see Perseid meteor shower tonight
Shooting stars will be visible across the UK during the annual Perseid meteor shower that will reach its peak on Tuesday night. While about 150 meteors will cross the sky per hour, only up to 100 of them might be visible. The meteor shower occurs every summer. This year's has already been running for several weeks but is expected to be most visible on Tuesday night. Where can I see it? The meteor shower will be visible across all of the UK, but will be most visible in the north-east of the UK as the sun sets. The further south you go, the lower Perseid sits on the horizon, making the spectacle harder to see. Experts say stargazers have a better chance of seeing shooting stars in areas with less light pollution. Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Ed Bloomer said: 'Getting into the middle of a field in the south east of England, in London, is going to be better than being in the middle of Aberdeen,' Dr Bloomer said. The Perseid meteor shower seen over Norfolk in 2020. / Credit: PA When and how can I see it? Once the sun sets, clear skies will afford good visibility on Tuesday night, although a waning full moon might make it brighter than normal and obscure the perfect view. The meteor shower will be best seen pre-dawn, but can also be visible from late at night. Find a place well away from street lamps, Dr Bloomer advises. Switch off any house lights if you are looking out from your garden. Dr Bloomer said you will need to allow time to let your eyes adjust to the dark before the meteor shower could be seen. He recommended viewers take a camping chair or a rug, sit down outside away from any light source and wait about half an hour. Shooting stars generally only last a second or two and sometimes appear in flurries. If you're struggling to see the meteor shower, Dr Bloomer suggested turning your head and watching through peripheral vision (side vision) as it can be easier to see in low light conditions. A meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower in 2021. / Credit: NASA What is a Perseid meteor shower? Every summer the Earth hits a trail of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet as it orbits the sun. Specks as small as a grain of dust flare up under the pressure of the planet's atmosphere and create shooting stars and a long trail of light and colour. Perseid is considered the best meteor shower of the year and peaks in mid August. Perseids are also known for their fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and colour and bigger than the average meteor streak. This meteor shower has already been running for a few weeks and will continue until around August 24. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
How and where to see Perseid meteor shower across UK skies
Shooting stars will be visible across the UK during the annual Perseid meteor shower that will reach its peak on Tuesday night. While about 150 meteors will cross the sky per hour, only up to 100 of them might be visible. The meteor shower occurs every summer. This year's has already been running for several weeks but is expected to be most visible on Tuesday night. Where can I see it? The meteor shower will be visible across all of the UK, but will be most visible in the north-east of the UK as the sun sets. The further south you go, the lower Perseid sits on the horizon, making the spectacle harder to see. Experts say stargazers have a better chance of seeing shooting stars in areas with less light pollution. Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Ed Bloomer said: 'Getting into the middle of a field in the south east of England, in London, is going to be better than being in the middle of Aberdeen,' Dr Bloomer said. When and how can I see it? Once the sun sets, clear skies will afford good visibility on Tuesday night, although a waning full moon might make it brighter than normal and obscure the perfect view. The meteor shower will be best seen pre-dawn, but can also be visible from late at night. Find a place well away from street lamps, Dr Bloomer advises. Switch off any house lights if you are looking out from your garden. Dr Bloomer said you will need to allow time to let your eyes adjust to the dark before the meteor shower could be seen. He recommended viewers take a camping chair or a rug, sit down outside away from any light source and wait about half an hour. Shooting stars generally only last a second or two and sometimes appear in flurries. If you're struggling to see the meteor shower, Dr Bloomer suggested turning your head and watching through peripheral vision (side vision) as it can be easier to see in low light conditions. What is a Perseid meteor shower? Every summer the Earth hits a trail of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet as it orbits the sun. Specks as small as a grain of dust flare up under the pressure of the planet's atmosphere and create shooting stars and a long trail of light and colour. Perseid is considered the best meteor shower of the year and peaks in mid August. Perseids are also known for their fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and colour and bigger than the average meteor streak. This meteor shower has already been running for a few weeks and will continue until around August 24.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews: Matt Winning: Solastalgia The City for Incurable Women 2025 Salem Witch Trial Always, Sometimes, Maybe Do Astronauts Masturbate in Space?
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... THEATRE Matt Winning: Solastalgia ★★★★ Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) until 24 August Matt Winning - sorry, Dr Matt Winning - imagines mirror worlds for a living. No, he's not some kind of spaced-out sci-fi geek. Instead, he analyses the evidence to predict the effects of even the smallest changes in temperature on agriculture, trade, migration, conflict - oh, and the small matter of the possibility of humans' very existence in a near-future world. To cut to the chase, things aren't looking good. Matt Winning: Solastalgia | Contributed And then… he makes a Fringe show about the whole thing. And a gently funny, deeply human and profoundly poignant show at that, however unlikely that sounds given Winning's, well, let's say bleak subject matter. Weaving together history and science with damning accounts of oil barons' greed and his own personal journey, he finds a winning (sorry) balance between hope and despair, and between comedy and tragedy, one that not only shines an unforgiving light on mistakes and avarice of the past (and present), but also offers reasons to believe that things might turn out not quite as darkly as we imagine. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Winning weaves together his themes convincingly, never stinting on academic insight while admitting mistakes and frailties of his own (being born in Paisley being one of them - among several gags that will no doubt hit a nerve with Scots). It's a well-structured and well-paced hour, but Winning's delivery could probably do with a bit of polish before he delivers it with the assurance it needs. His staging is minimal and might be used a bit more powerfully, but in the end it's what Winning has to say that really hits home. There's plenty here to shed new light on what probably gives us all nightmares - not all of it reassuring - but grab Winning afterwards and you might get answers to more of your questions. Solastalgia is a simple but quietly eloquent show, but the insights it offers into our current climate predicament make it an important one. DAVID KETTLE THEATRE The City for Incurable Women ★★★ Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 60) until 25 August There was a time when the hospital and stage definitions of the word 'theatre' used to be less separate, Charlotte McBurney's scholarly narrator tells us. It's the catalyst for a collage-like, largely comic journey through history to explore the origins of what, during the late 18th-century and into most of the 19th, was described by medics and the wider world that they helped to shape as 'hysterical' women. Starting with how female patients were examined on stage as a kind of 'show' by Dr Jean-Martin Charcot, at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, the piece relishes the comic strangeness of the sexist attitudes, actions and procedures from the 1800s, but also draws in the ancient Greeks and what came later, including women's rights, world wars, 1950s housewives, Salvador Dali and 'mad bitch' slogan t-shirts. It's a fascinating, theatrical journey full of physicality, from fish in a dress theatre company, in which McBurney playfully shifts between commentator and characters, male and female roles, before the dissemination descends into a more confused kind of 'madness' that feels in need of greater clarity. Both Charcot and McBurney use the women's bodies to make their points in an intriguing cross-century conflict, but one that inevitably ends up telling us less about these women than the way they've been defined and continue to be defined by their health conditions. SALLY STOTT Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad THEATRE 2025 Salem Witch Trial ★★★ Greenside @ George Street until 23 August I'd better choose my words carefully, lest self-described witch Gretchen Wylder hex me from across town. Actually, as she explains in her engaging solo show, Wylder is more interested in healing poultices and therapy through tarot readings than she is in flinging curses or summoning demons. Nonetheless, she still finds herself in deep trouble – and facing increasingly sinister threat – from devout Christians when she buys a cottage in their spooky woodland community near Salem, Massachusetts. As she pithily sums up early on in the show, there ain't no hate quite like Christian love. Wylder's tale of embracing her queerness and her love of the occult, then finding those qualities condemned by those around her, is a compelling one, and it's clearly quite the ride she's been on – conveyed through energetic narration and nicely lo-fi videos of herself playing her tarot clients and her pious tormentors. By sticking so doggedly to her own personal story, though, she misses the opportunity of putting her tribulations in a broader context, so that there are few insights beyond her accounts of her individual experiences, vivid though those are. And despite the show's nicely fluid, conversational form, Wylder might have encouraged even greater connection with her fascinated audience by ditching the prompt cards. DAVID KETTLE THEATRE Chrome Yellow ★★★ ZOO Southside (Venue 82) until 24 August In 2021, Jersey writer and performer Wayne Stewart set off on a 650-mile walk from the northern coast of France all the way south to the Mediterranean. Why? It's a question he continually grapples with across the course of his quiet, reflective solo show. Perhaps simply to get over a recent break-up, or perhaps to encourage connections with others. But ultimately, does an act like that need to have any meaning or purpose at all? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One of a clutch of Fringe shows exploring a search for spiritual meaning through long-distance walks, Chrome Yellow is an episodic but gently revelatory work. Stewart reads from the journal he kept (perhaps a little too often for dramatic impetus), sketches in memories of environments and meetings with others, and even does a pretty convincing Elvis impression. Beyond his road-trip anecdotes, however, is the perpetual question of, not what is life's meaning, but whether it needs to even have one. And shining through all of it is the vibrant colour of the show's title, which gradually becomes a mysterious spiritual beacon in Stewart's life – though he later wonders whether there's a more mundane explanation for his deep love of yellow. He's an engaging performer, though a little more variety in tone and pace might have made Chrome Yellow more compelling. DAVID KETTLE THEATRE Always, Sometimes, Maybe ★★★ Greenside @ Riddles Court (Venue 16) until 23 August Created and performed by Michele Stine, Always, Sometimes, Maybe is a solo clown show exploring the fundamentals of friendship and connection. Here, Stine plays a janitor named Lou, who repurposes trash (specifically 'good trash') by turning it into art materials. 'Trash can be magic,' Lou says. 'Some people think trash is dead, but I just think you have to breathe life back into it.' From found materials, she creates puppets with detailed histories, all of which are made using fragile items like cotton wool, gauze, or tape from the inside of a cassette. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The magic Lou speaks of occurs in the smallest and most makeshift of moments, such as through shadow-play, or juggling plastic bags in the wind. By imagining and overlaying these lives, Stine builds a community of characters who require specific forms of attention or support. The audience has a hand in enacting these gestures of care, as Lou, in her loneliness, which feels like watching the world from behind soundproof glass, has forgotten the rules of friendship. The whimsy at the heart of Always, Sometimes, Maybe can become saccharine in places – however, it retains a charm and playfulness that is accessible, irrespective of age. JOSEPHINE BALFOUR-OATTS THEATRE Do Astronauts Masturbate in Space? ★★★ Greenside @ Riddles Court (Venue 16) until 23 August To save you a Google; the answer to the question posed by the title is 'yes' and while it may not initially seem to have any relevance to this quietly effective two-hander, it is relevant. Set in a very near dystopian future Britain where Nigel Farage is Prime Minster, this follows a young couple, Lily and Gareth (played by the play's writers, Briony Martha and Zak Reay-Barry) who, after unexpectedly falling pregnant are required to register the conception and attend a week-long island retreat in order to gain their 'Stork Card'. At first this futuristic window-dressing seems just that; a theatrical device that allows the couple to be interrogated with invasive personal questions by unseen officials. However, it's also a neat metaphor for the loss of control you can feel when preparing to welcome a child; the creeping suspicion that your life is not your own anymore. While there's more than a hint of a primer for soon-to-be parents about this, Martha and Reay-Barry work well together and have real chemistry, utilising physical theatre to emphasise the couple's developing anxieties. Science fiction can be notoriously hard to successfully pull off on stage but this works by using the genre to focus on the characters. RORY FORD
