Spectacular meteor show expected

13/12/2006 - 07:00:25
The most spectacular meteor shower of the year will be visible in the Irish skies tonight.

Astronomers are gathering around the country to watch fragments of an asteroid slamming into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Observers looking to the heavens can expect to see bright streaks in the sky, one roughly every 20 to 30 seconds, according to Astronomy Ireland.

The ‘shooting stars’ occur when pea-sized fragments of a 5km-wide asteroid collide with the atmosphere at 35 km per second, burning up at heights of 100km.

“This is the best meteor shower of the year, with two or three blazing across the skies each minute; a spectacular sight,” said David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland.

Watches have been organised in Dublin, Carlow, Clare, Cork, Dundalk, Clonmel, Waterford and Wexford with telescopes for the public.