Thousands of meteors to light up South Yorkshire skies

We’re just a couple of days away from one of the most remarkable astronomical shows you will see in the southern Colorado sky – the Perseid meteor shower!

They are usually the brightest of the annual meteor showers.

The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event that is also described by astronomers as one of the brightest of meteor shower events and it ushers in the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere.

They could lead to a spectacle of up to 100 meteors darting across the sky every hour during the peak, which this year falls on the morning of August 13.

The meteor shower is composed of particles released from Comet 109/Swift-Tuttle during its many trips to the inner solar system, a region comprising terrestrial planets and asteroids.

That’s because the meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through a trail of dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which can be thicker in some places than others. The peak is after midnight on Wednesday to Thursday at daybreak, but good displays may be seen all this week. Earthgrazer meteors are rare but most exciting and memorable, if you happen to spot one.

With the peak of the meteor shower coinciding with a moonless night it makes the chances of seeing shooting stars even better this year.

Early rising (or staying up late) can help your chances too – some of the best showings of the meteors can be seen during predawn hours, rather than in the evening. “You can see the train hanging there glowing in the sky for a few seconds – sometimes for several minutes – after the meteor has gone”. Just look up at the night sky this week, and you can.

“By far the best night would be Wednesday night”, said Ray Brady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Binghamton.

The Perseids appear each year as the Earth passes through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

If you’d like to wish on a shooting star, this week is a great opportunity.

In order to view the skies in its most ideal state for this dazzling meteor shower, it is best to watch from an area where there is less light pollution or no artificial lights, preferably away from the city, letting your vision adjust to the darkness.