Its Looking Like a Fine Night for a Spot of Meteor-Gazing

Aug 10, 06:09 PM

Current Headlines: By Fiona MacRae

ASTRONOMERS are promising a spectacular meteor shower on Sunday night.

Multi-coloured shooting stars will race toward the Earth at the rate of more than one a minute.

Clear skies and the weak light of a new moon will make the Perseid shower one of the most dramatic in recent years.

Irish weather forecasters predict that Sundays weather will be fresh with heavy showers in the afternoon but that these should clear in time for 11pm when the meteors become visible.

They will reach their peak on Monday at 2am.

Dr Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: If you have never seen a meteor shower, this is a really nice opportunity to watch one.

It is a very easy piece of astronomy and it can be quite spectacular.

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.

The month-long shower can be seen for another week after this Sundays peak.

Those seeking the best view should choose a location with as little background light as possible.

Observers should make the most of this opportunity as strong moonlight will severely restrict viewing in 2008.

The annual meteor shower starts when the Earths orbit takes it across the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

The comets trail of dusty debris burns up in our atmosphere in the form of meteors that resemble streaks of light.

The shooting stars travel at around 135,000mph 18 times the re- entry speed of Nasas Space Shuttle.

Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which they appear to radiate.

In the case of the Perseid shower, this is Perseus, which lies in the eastern sky.

It is also known as the Tears of St Lawrence because the saints feast day on August 10 falls in the middle of the extended light show.

Perseid, which was first recorded 2,000 years ago, also produces earthgrazers meteors that skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping on the surface of a pond.

135,000mph Estimated speed of the meteors as they race past the Earth

THE COMET WITH STARS IN ITS TAIL

THE COMET Swift-Tuttle passes the Earth every 130 or so years.

Although it last visited in 1992, the Earth passes through its debris every August causing meteors.

WHERE TO LOOK Find a clear, dark site away from street lights and look toward the eastern sky.

The meteors are pea-sized particles of debris that burn up as they plunge through the Earth's atmosphere

WHEN TO WATCH The meteors will start to become visible from 11pm on Sunday night, rising to a peak of between 60 to 100 per hour at 2am on Monday disappearing at dawn.

FORECAST A dry night is predicted over Ireland and Britain. Temperatures at 2am will range from 14C in the South to a cooler 8C in the North.

(c) 2007 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.