The Perseid Shower

Every 130 years the comet Swift Tuttle passes through the solar system and obits the our sun, the most recent visit was in 1992 and since then once a year in august we earthlings are lucky to witness the Perseid Meteor Shower; this is when the earth passes through debris left by the comet on its last visit. The shower is a stunning collection of shooting stars!

This year there is a small window because the shower collides with the moon which will be nearly full. The moonshine will brighten the sky and make spotting meteors harder, but the bright one's (and the best for armature star gazers) should still be visible. The shower lasts most of this week but best time is tonight between 9.30pm after dusk and 11pm which is when the moon rises, Tuesday or Wednesday being the peak. I don't know about you but I am sure to be grabbing a blanket & thermos and heading to the meadow : )