Perseid meteor shower previews dazzling August peak
Written by News on 12/08/2017
The world was treated to a dazzling solar display on Friday night – as the Perseids meteor shower geared up for its weekend peak.
Streaks of shooting stars – up to 100 an hour – are expected on Saturday and Sunday night in the most popular annual solar performance.
The skies of Bosnia and Herzegovina were pictured filled with bright fireballs.
Distinctive for their long "wakes" of light and colour streaking behind, the Perseids occur every August because of the warm summer weather.
That makes them easily viewable for most sky-watchers, who will get the best display between 11pm and 3am in the Northern Hemisphere.
For the best view, stargazers should find an area well away from city or street lights, which cause light pollution and diminish visibility.
NASA advises it takes 30 minutes looking into the dark night’s sky for people’s eyes to adjust to see fainter objects.
With the Saturday night weather forecast showing largely clear and dry spells, many in the UK may be lucky enough to marvel at the meteor shower.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth orbits the sun, passing through the debris left by comet trails formed of broken asteroids.
When the space rock collides with Earth’s atmosphere, fiery and colourful streaks are created in the sky.
(c) Sky News 2017: Perseid meteor shower previews dazzling August peak
