Persied Meteor shower 11/08/07

A spectacular display of shooting stars could be visible across British skies tomorrow Sunday night. The Perseid meteor shower occurs roughly around this time each year as the Earth passes through a trail of debris left in the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle as it blasts its way through space shedding clouds of dust. This year’s display will begin after 9pm and is expected to reach its peak at around 3am. As dawn approaches, the meteor shower will vanish. A new moon will give rise to dark skies, enhancing visibility for those wanting to witness what promises to be a colourful astronomical phenomenon. Mimimal moonlight will mean that even faint meteors can be seen. Most of the meteors are no bigger than a grain of sand, but as they shoot through the Earth’s upper atmosphere at around 135,000 mph they burn up in a bright light and many leave a glowing streak in their wake. Occasionally, they ignite into a bright fireball as larger meteors shoot through. The Perseids, which are named after the constellation from which they appear to originate, Perseus, also used to be known as the “tears of St Lawrence” after a third-century archdeacon of Rome. When he was executed by the Romans, meteors streaked through the night sky and reappeared every year around St Lawrence’s feast day on August 10. The nice thing about it is that it is really easy to watch. You just have to get out of bed and look toward the east. Even if you just watch for just a minute or two, you should see quite a few meteors.