Stargazers are in for a treat as Irish skies are set to be lit up by a magical meteor shower early next week.
There’s something extremely calming about watching the night sky, makes you realise just how small you are in the grand scheme of things – something that never fails to comfort me when life feels a little overwhelming.
Irish skies are set to be a little brighter than usual early next week thanks to the arrival of the Perseid meteor shower. Due to reach its peak next Tuesday and Wednesday night, 20 times more shooting stars will be visible than on a normal night. If that isn’t a reason to throw on your woollies and step outside, I don’t know what is.
An annual event, it’s one of the most-watched meteor showers of the year given that it’s easily visible to the entire northern hemisphere in August. Caused by dust and debris shed by passing comets, the Perseid meteors come from a comet called Swift-Tuttle which orbits the Sun every 133 years.
And in even better news, you won’t need any fancy equipment to see the meteors either as they’ll be visible from dusk until dawn – just open your peepers and keep your eyes on the sky. According to NASA, you might even spot the occasional “fireball” too if you’re lucky.
Having grown up down the country, I was privy to clear skies that were perfect for stargazing and so I’m definitely partial to a good meteor shower. Who isn’t though to be fair.
Header image via Shutterstock
