This Is the Best Time to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower

August 10

15:24 2018

"You should be able to see some meteors from July 17 to August 24, with the rates increasing during the weeks before August 12 and decreasing after the 13th", NASA said in a skywatching video. And conditions for viewing the meteors will be next to ideal this year.

Greater numbers of meteors are visible when the radiant is high.

While the Perseid meteor shower will be visible on Saturday night, the real show comes on Sunday, with peak shooting star activity happening the night of August 12 to 13.

The Perseid's shooting stars are caused by debris from the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet (Photo: Shutterstock)What are the Perseids?

When is the best time to see them?

The Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus, which is where the meteor shower's colorful streaks appear to come from in the night sky.

The Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism Project in Sharjah has geared up its preparation for the Perseid Meteor Shower, scheduled to light the UAE skies on Sunday from 8pm to 1am. In the evening, starting around 10 p.m., you'll see fewer meteors, but those that do appear will be longer-lasting and tend to have longer tails.

A tent stands out against the starlit sky during the Perseid meteor shower on August 14, 2016 in Terlingua, Texas.

All you'll really need to do is crane your head upwards. However, this year with a dark clear sky, it's possible to see an awesome light show. This creates the meteor shower, or the appearance of "shooting stars".

The comet has a 133-year orbit, last visiting our part of the solar system back in 1992 (hence the big meteor show back in the 90s). "Comets and asteroids leave tiny bits of themselves in the orbital path that they take around the sun".