The final chance to get the best look at the “best ever” meteor shower flying over the UK happens tonight.
The stunning Perseid meteor shower is set to dazzle the UK skies at for the final time before its waning peak really kicks in tonight. Known for its high hourly rate and bright meteors, it graces our skies every year between July and August.
This year’s peak lit up the night between August 12 and 13, meaning that tonight (August 14 to 15) is the final chance to catch a glimpse before the peak wanes so much that you’ll struggle to spot it.
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Amateur astronomers are in for a treat as they could spot up to 100 shooting stars an hour during this event, which originates from the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. This comet, which orbits the sun every 20 to 200 years, was last seen in 1992.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the Perseids, pronounced Per-see-id, are “one of the most dramatic things to see in the night sky between July and August”.
Dr Ed Bloomer, a top boffin at the observatory, has said that the visibility of the Perseids won’t dramatically drop after the peak. So, if you miss it tonight, there’s still a chance to see the magic unfold.
(Image: Getty Images)
Dr Bloomer explained: “The Perseids should give good viewing a couple of days either side, with local weather and light conditions probably more significant factors than the precise mathematical peak.”
The Perseid meteor, known for its impressive speed of 36 miles per second, dazzles the night sky with a luminous streak as it compresses and heats the air in front of it to thousands of degrees Celsius. Smaller meteors tend to vaporise, leaving a trail of light that we often wish upon as shooting stars, while the bigger boys can go out with a bang as spectacular fireballs.
As the moon takes a bow below the horizon around 10.30pm, the skies get darker and those meteors become the night’s main event, with the ideal time to spot it thought to be around between midnight and 2am.
For UK stargazers, the Perseids radiant is a permanent fixture in the sky, so you can start your meteor-spotting as soon as dusk falls no need to burn the midnight oil waiting for a peek. But if you’re after the ultimate viewing experience, the Royal Greenwich Observatory reckons you should set your alarms for between midnight and 5.30am.
They offer a pro tip: “It is always ideal to try to spot meteors when the moon is below the horizon or when it is in its crescent phase, otherwise it acts as natural light pollution and prevents the fainter meteors from being visible,” And they’ve got some good news for future astronomers: “In 2024 the peak of the Perseid meteor shower is around the moon’s first quarter phase, so conditions are reasonably favourable for seeing Perseid meteors.”
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