Meteor shower to dazzle UAE night sky: Here's where to watch

In a dark, moonless sky, this shower often produces 50-100 meteors per hour.

Stargazers and sky watchers will be in for a treat during the month of August, when the Perseid Meteor Shower will be on its peak on the nights of August 12^th and 13^th.
The 2018 Perseid meteor shower will probably produce the greatest number of meteors on the night of August 12 and the morning of August 13. In a dark, moonless sky, this shower often produces 50-100 meteors per hour.
Read: Where to watch meteor shower in UAE
In the Northern Hemisphere, the annual August Perseid Meteor Shower probably ranks as the all-time favorite meteor shower of the year.
Source of Perseid Meteor Shower
Made of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus. This is because the direction and radiant point, from which the shower seems to come in the sky, lies in the same direction as Perseus.
The Perseids arise when Earth passes through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1862. The comet's last brush with the inner solar system occurred in 1992, leaving a dusty trail of debris that our planet passes through each summer. As these debris hit the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up and create visible streaks in the sky.
How you can to see the Perseids
The Dubai Astronomy Group CEO, Hasan Al Hariri said that people don't need any special equipment or a lot of skills to view a meteor shower. All you really need is a clear sky and a secluded viewing spot away from the city lights. Your eyes may take 5 to 10 minutes to get used to the dark. He advises the people to be comfortable and equipped with basic things because watching a meteor can be a waiting game.
He added that this year, the moon is a near new moon and that it will be a crescent which will set before the Perseid show gets underway after midnight. This is extremely favorable for sky waters and it can be hoped that it will make the Perseids as the best shower of 2018. The Perseids are rich in fireballs, so the show should be even better.
Where to watch the Perseids Meteor Shower
Dubai Astronomy Group is organizing a Perseid Meteor Shower party on dark side of Al Qudra desert which is an ideal place for the meteor show. The event will also provide an opportunity for people to look through the telescopes at the other celestial objects including; Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, stars, globular clusters, nebula and other deep sky objects. The event will also feature presentation, Talk & Q&A Session.
Tickets for the event can be booked at www.q-tickets.com
reporters@khaleejtimes.com 

• UAE
• Dubai