12-08-2025
‘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.
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'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.
