Spectacular shooting star display to be visible above Dublin tonight

TURN your eyes to the skies when the sun goes down later and you may be in for a very special treat.

That’s because tonight and tomorrow night the skies above us will see an amazing Meteor Shower called the Perseids, and Astronomy Ireland want you to help count shooting stars.

No special equipment is needed, and you can look anywhere in the sky.

The Perseids have been observed for around 2000 years, and are the result of Earth passing through a cloud of dust left behind Comet Swift-Tuttle.

As earth moves through this cloud, the particles fall into our atmosphere and burn up, creating spectacular streaks of light in the sky, known as meteors or shooting stars.

This shower is named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to come from in the sky.

If you trace the path of a Perseid, you will find that it appears to come from a point in the north east, maybe halfway between the horizon and the zenith (the point straight above your head).

If you would like to help Astronomy Ireland here’s how you can get involved.

Count how many meteors you see every 15 minutes (if possible, start on the hour or quarter past the hour), and note it down.

Then email Astronomy Ireland your report with your name, location, and the night you observed.

For example, a normal report would be as follows:

Name: Joe Bloggs

Location: Kinsale, Co. Cork

Night: Tuesday night and Wednesday morning

11:30 – 11:45: 12 meteors

11:45 – 00:00: 8 meteors

Email your meteor report to magazine@astronomy.ie

Tonight is the best night to watch but you can observe on any night around this date.

You also do not need a telescope or any special equipment to view the Perseids.

For more information please go to Astronomy Ireland