Everything you need to know about this weekend's meteor shower extravaganza
Calling all stargazers!
The Irish skies are set to illuminate this weekend as the annual Perseid meteor shower is in full blaze.
The shower, which runs from July 17 to August 27, reaches it’s peak this weekend, August 12, although you'll still get excellent visibility on August 11 and 13.
Astronomy Ireland predict that you will be able see up to 80 ‘shooting stars’ an hour.
Perseids are are pieces of debris from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle.
As these chunks of celestial rock fall from space through the Earth's atmosphere, they appear as bright streaks of light zipping across the sky - like shooting stars.
PASS IT ON: Perseid meteor shower peaks this Friday and Saturday night. Around 60 meteors possible per hour! #MeteorShower #Space pic.twitter.com/JfMfP8xPtS
— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) August 9, 2017
The best time to spot the display is between 1am and dawn twilight.
It is advised that you should allow around 20 minutes for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark.
Of course, open spaces and areas away from street lighting are the best viewing platforms.
