- Published
The best annual meteor shower has once again returned to our skies, and the Perseids dazzling display is set to peak on Wednesday night.
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display → publish → night
But skywatchers will be treated to not one, but two, impressive astronomical events within just a few hours of each other.
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skywatchers → treat → other
A deep partial solar eclipse will be also visible in the UK in the early evening before the Sun sets and the stars emerge.
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stars → set → evening
While the two events are unrelated, their timing makes for an exceptional night of stargazing.
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timing → make → stargazing
Astronomer Dr Becky Smethurst said it was "the perfect cosmic coincidence of events".
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it → say → events
Here is when to look up and where you will have the best views of the meteor shower.
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you → look → shower
Meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through trails of debris from asteroids or comets - a snowball of frozen rock and gas orbiting the Sun.
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Earth → happen → Sun
As that debris enters our planet's atmosphere, it burns up and creates spectacular streaks of light - meteors.
Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow Dr Becky Smethurst described the Perseids as "one of the best nights for astronomy all year".
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Smethurst → enter → astronomy
The Perseids, pronounced 'Per-see-ids', are caused by debris left behind specifically by the Swift-Tuttle comet.
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Perseids → pronounce → comet
This comet is considered large with its solid core measuring 16 miles (26km) across.
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core → consider → miles
As it takes 133 years to complete a single orbit around the Sun - much longer than our own - some of the pieces of rock we see burning up could have been left behind more than a century ago.
"It's sort of like the Universe's own cosmic clock in a way," Smethurst said.
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Smethurst → take → way
These meteors are visible all around the world and named because they appear to originate from the constellation Perseus.
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they → name → Perseus
When and where can I see it?
The Perseids is active from mid-July to 23 Aug this year, but on most nights the shower will only display a few meteors each hour.
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shower → see → meteors
But the best time to watch is on the peak nights, which this year is in the early morning hours between midnight and dawn on 12 and 13 August.
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which → watch → August
If you are really lucky, you could see more than 100 'shooting stars' per hour.
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you → see → hour
Light pollution will hide the fainter meteors, leaving only the brightest ones visible.
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pollution → hide → ones
This year could offer especially good viewing conditions because there is a new moon, meaning there will be no bright moonlight.
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year → offer → conditions
For most of England and Wales, stargazers will have largely clear skies throughout the night with just a small chance of one or two mist patches.
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stargazers → have → patches
If you plan to stay up late in the very far north of England, Northern Ireland or much of Scotland you may need to employ a little more patience.
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you → plan → patience
While some cloud breaks are expected, there will be large areas of cloud at times and even the risk of one or two showers.
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breaks → expect → showers
The forecast may yet change so keep checking with BBC Weather for the latest details.
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forecast → change → details
Could I see a meteor during the eclipse?
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I → see → eclipse
During an eclipse, the sky darkens offering a short window to also see the Perseids at the same time.
But this will only be in the areas witnessing a total eclipse - like Spain - and not in the UK where only a partial eclipse will be witnessed.
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eclipse → darken → UK
But even there, the chances are extremely slim, "you would have to get very, very lucky to see a shooting star during the total eclipse," Dr Smethurst said.
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Smethurst → have → eclipse
Remember for a solar eclipse you must use certified solar glasses - looking directly at the sun without proper eye protection can cause permanent eye damage.
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looking → remember → damage
The Aporia
