Irish stargazers urged to look up as major sky event to take place tonight – here's best place to watch
Astronomy experts at the European Space Agency say the display is so good that it will appear as though "natural fireworks will fill the sky".
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An incredible meteor shower will occur tonight
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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It will reach its peak activity
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The Perseid shower will reach its peak activity tonight as Earth passes through debris from an ancient comet.
And people may be lucky to see it without requiring any equipment.
Plus, you might even spot Jupiter and Venus amid the meteor shower too, as they're due to appear at their closest.
The annual meteor shower is the debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which comes around every 20 to 200 years and it is estimated to be more than 5billion years old, older than Earth.
The average speed for a Perseid meteor is around 58km per second, which will decorate the sky with fast, bright meteor trains.
Meteor trains appear when the air in front of the meteor is squashed and heated to thousands of degrees Celsius.
Smaller meteors then vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light behind them, while the larger meteors can explode into fireballs, and almost none of them hit the ground.
If they do hit the ground, they will then be called a meteorite.
However, scientists have warned that the brightness of the full Moon may obscure the view.
Dr Shyam Balaji, theoretical physicist at King's College London, said: "It is one the fastest and brightest meteor showers of the year, so an astronomical highlight for stargazers.
'Meteor' crashes to earth with loud bang & leaves houses shaking
"The best place to view the Perseid meteor shower is in the North East near the constellation Perseus.
"While you can look at the whole sky and are likely to see a meteor, that's the target location in order to get the best viewing experience."
The best time to catch the meteor shower in its full glory will be between midnight and 5:30 am, when the sky is pitch dark.
WATCHING TIPS
However, it may be difficult to spot it in light-polluted areas such as busy towns and cities, so they are encouraged to seek a dark area outside of those areas that have no light pollution, even without street lamps.
For those living in the capital, Phoenix Park and Bull Island would be ideal spots to take in the sights as there's less light pollution.
What's the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
Here's what you need to know, according to Nasa... Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth)
An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth) Meteoroid: When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids
When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it'll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up
If a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it'll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn't vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth's atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite
If a meteoroid doesn't vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth's atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However, rather than being made mostly of rock, a comet contains lots of ice and gas, which can result in amazing tails forming behind them, thanks to the ice and dust vaporising.
Make sure that your stargazing spot has an unobstructed view of the horizon and above - away from treelines or cityscapes is best.
Binoculars might not always be needed - or helpful.
They can limit your view of the sky, and in trying to get a more detailed look, you could miss shooting stars out of frame.
He added: "For me personally, the best way to view the meteor shower is just with your naked eye because of the speed with which they move.
"But you could use Sky Guide or Stellarium or other stargazing apps to get a better viewing experience, to target the right regions of the sky to see the meteor shower."
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