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| Perseids: Meteor light show set to dazzle | Perseids: Meteor light show set to dazzle |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Skywatchers around the world are in for a dazzling display as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Wednesday night. | Skywatchers around the world are in for a dazzling display as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Wednesday night. |
| Viewing is weather-dependent, however, and cloud cover may spoil the party in many parts of the UK. | |
| Above the clouds, conditions are unusually favourable because the shower will coincide with a new moon. | Above the clouds, conditions are unusually favourable because the shower will coincide with a new moon. |
| The Perseids are pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle; each August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet's debris. | The Perseids are pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle; each August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet's debris. |
| Swift-Tuttle shed this material long ago, and it is now distributed as a tenuous "river of rubble" along the comet's orbit around the Sun. | Swift-Tuttle shed this material long ago, and it is now distributed as a tenuous "river of rubble" along the comet's orbit around the Sun. |
| These particles of ice and dust (which range from the size of a grain of sand to around as big as a pea) hit the Earth's atmosphere at about 60km/s (37 miles/s). | These particles of ice and dust (which range from the size of a grain of sand to around as big as a pea) hit the Earth's atmosphere at about 60km/s (37 miles/s). |
| As they do so, they heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light. | As they do so, they heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light. |
| The meteor shower is visible across the Northern hemisphere and from as far as subtropical latitudes south of the Equator. Prime viewing hours, wherever you are, stretch from about 23:00 local time on 12 August until the morning of 13 August. | The meteor shower is visible across the Northern hemisphere and from as far as subtropical latitudes south of the Equator. Prime viewing hours, wherever you are, stretch from about 23:00 local time on 12 August until the morning of 13 August. |
| This is when the shower's "radiant," the point from which the meteors appear to originate, is high up in the sky. The higher the radiant, the more meteors appear all over the sky. | This is when the shower's "radiant," the point from which the meteors appear to originate, is high up in the sky. The higher the radiant, the more meteors appear all over the sky. |
| The number of visible meteors is hard to predict accurately, but the rate could reach as high as 100 per hour. | The number of visible meteors is hard to predict accurately, but the rate could reach as high as 100 per hour. |
| The Perseid shower is active each year from around 17 July to 24 August, although for most of that period only a few meteors an hour are visible. | The Perseid shower is active each year from around 17 July to 24 August, although for most of that period only a few meteors an hour are visible. |
| Its radiant appears within the constellation of Perseus - hence the name. | Its radiant appears within the constellation of Perseus - hence the name. |
| Prof Mark Bailey, the director of Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, said the Perseids were "one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year". | Prof Mark Bailey, the director of Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, said the Perseids were "one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year". |
| Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, added: "The nearly moonless sky this year means the viewing will be excellent." | Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, added: "The nearly moonless sky this year means the viewing will be excellent." |
| It is the first time since 2007 that the Perseid shower has coincided with a new moon. | It is the first time since 2007 that the Perseid shower has coincided with a new moon. |
| For most people, meteor showers are best viewed with the naked eye. Experts advise finding a dark location away from artificial light and an unobstructed view of the sky. | For most people, meteor showers are best viewed with the naked eye. Experts advise finding a dark location away from artificial light and an unobstructed view of the sky. |
| Reclining chairs or blankets are best for looking up at the sky in comfort. | Reclining chairs or blankets are best for looking up at the sky in comfort. |
| In the UK, weather forecasters say Wednesday night's clearest skies will be in southern Scotland, northern England and north Wales. Although other parts of the UK are expected to be overcast, there could be breaks in the cloud cover. | |
| Some skywatchers have already glimpsed - and photographed - Perseid meteors during the nights preceding the shower's peak. | Some skywatchers have already glimpsed - and photographed - Perseid meteors during the nights preceding the shower's peak. |
| Chris Boundey spent Monday night at Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, UK. "The meteors seemed to be coming thick and fast overhead," he told the BBC in an email. | Chris Boundey spent Monday night at Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, UK. "The meteors seemed to be coming thick and fast overhead," he told the BBC in an email. |
| Will you be watching the sky for this year's Perseid meteor light show? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and pictures. | Will you be watching the sky for this year's Perseid meteor light show? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and pictures. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |