It’s an exciting week for astronomy lovers as the meteor shower is at its peak just one day after a partial solar eclipse
One of the night sky’s most dazzling events is only a few days away – and Londoners are really in for a show. The Perseid meteor shower is the phenomenon of the summer, sending thousands of bright streaks across the darkness.
It’s a favourite of stargazers because the shower can feature more than 100 meteors and fireballs every hour at its peak. Plus, this year the peak of the Perseids coincides with a new Moon, meaning that if you have clear skies, you should see plenty of activity.
The shower returned to the UK last night and will be sticking around until mid-August. Thankfully, the peak’s happening on Wednesday and Thursday, so the best views are still to come.
It’s an exciting time to be an amateur astronomer as there will also be a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday evening. The Moon will move between the Sun and Earth, meaning light will momentarily be blocked from reaching us.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory said this will be the UK’s starkest solar eclipse since 1999, with between 90 and 96 per cent of the Sun covered by the Moon. Spectators in parts of Greenland, Iceland and of northern Spain will see a total eclipse.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of tiny pieces of debris left behind by comets and asteroids. The Perseids are caused by the planet slamming into meteoroids from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
This is the largest solar system object to regularly pass close to Earth and takes 133 years to complete a full orbit. It’s thought to be bigger than the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.
The peak of a meteor shower occurs as we pass through the densest part of the debris. Despite the large amount of light produced, nearly all meteors are nothing more than miniscule dust particles.
“As they come out of the vacuum of space and into Earth’s atmosphere, that little dust grain interacts with all the particles and ions in the atmosphere. It gets heated up by the friction and forms the impressive flash that we see,” said meteorite expert Dr Ashley King of the Natural History Museum.
When is the best time to see it?
The Perseid meteor shower has been active since July 17 and will be sticking around until Monday, August 24. This year’s peak is expected across August 12 and 13.
UK skywatchers should be able to catch some meteors as soon as the Sun sets, so it’s worth looking up in the early evening. However, the best time to spot the shower is between midnight and 5.30am, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
You can look out for the Perseids wherever you are, but there are some tips that will increase your chances:
- Check the weather forecast for clear conditions
- Reduce the amount of light pollution in your field of view
- Avoid looking at your phone for 15 minutes before looking up
- Find an area with a clear view of the horizon, away from trees and buildings
- Use a stargazing app to find the constellation Perseus, where the meteors will appear to originate from.
What time is best to see the eclipse?
The partial solar eclipse is taking place on Wednesday, August 12.
From 6.17pm the Moon will slowly cover more of the Sun until there is roughly 90 per cent coverage at 7.12pm, when the eclipse reaches its maximum. At this point there will be a noticeable difference in both light levels and temperatures making it feel like it’s close to dusk or dawn.
The eclipse is set to end in London at 8.06pm, almost two hours after it began.
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