• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Sky to light up with 100 shooting stars per hour tonight

Home> News> UK News

Published 12:29 12 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Sky to light up with 100 shooting stars per hour tonight

Tonight’s the night if you want to catch one of the year's biggest displays at its best

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

The UK sky is set to light up with up to 100 shooting stars per hour tonight, as one of the year’s most dramatic displays reaches its peak.

The Perseid meteor shower – named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors are believed to originate from – is active this year between 17 and 24 August.

It’s known as one of the annual highlights of the stargazing calendar due to its high hourly rate and bright meteors, which are caused by Earth hitting debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

Advert

For 2023, the shower peaks between 12 and 13 August, meaning tonight’s the night if you want to catch it at its best as up to 100 shooting stars an hour illuminate the sky.

The Perseids meteor shower peaks tonight.
Kevin Key/Slworking/Getty

According to Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG), the best time to see the Perseids – or anything in the night sky, for that matter – is when the sky is at its darkest and when the target is at its highest position.

For meteor showers, this usually occurs between midnight and the very early hours of the morning, with RMG saying the best window for the Perseids is therefore 12am-5.30am.

As for how to see the spectacle, you can technically look out for the shower wherever you are, but there are a number of factors that may increase your chances of spotting the meteors.

Advert

RMG said: “Plan ahead and check the weather forecast. If it is likely to be inclement, find a different location or go out on a different day. The days leading up to the peak are usually better than the days after.

There are a number of factors that might increase your changes of spotting the meteors.
PA

“Reduce the amount of light pollution in your field of view. This could mean heading out to the countryside, a nearby park or even do something as simple as turning your back to street lamps if you are not able to go anywhere.

“Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so that you can catch more of the fainter meteors – this does mean that you should not look at your phone!

“Meteors can appear in any part of the sky so the more sky you can see the better. Find an area with a clear view of the horizon and away from trees and buildings.”

Advert

It added: “Binoculars and telescopes are not necessary as they will restrict the size of the sky that will be visible to you.”

RMG also said that, as this year the maximum – or peak – falls about three years before the New Moon, conditions are ‘favourable’, so set those alarms (or, let’s face it, simply stay up after your night out later) and get your Brian Cox on.

Featured Image Credit: Kevin Key/Slworking / Don Grall/Getty Images

Topics: UK News, Space

Jess Hardiman
Jess Hardiman

Jess is Entertainment Desk Lead at LADbible Group. She graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

X

@Jess_Hardiman

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Terrifying GoPro footage shows moment great white shark 'nearly eats' diver

    It just swam into view while he was diving

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Scientists have absolutely no idea what 'impossible' radio signals coming from deep inside Antarctica are

    "We still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are"

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Conspiracy theory sparked after China posts video of astronauts in space

    One small glass for man, one giant conspiracy theory for mankind

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Scientists left stunned after discovering man was living normal life with 90% of his brain missing

    I'm often accused of not having a brain, but this is next level

    News
  • How to see meteor shower featuring 25 shooting stars an hour set to light up UK night sky
  • Millions of Brits given final chance to see 100 shooting stars every hour tonight
  • How to spot shooting stars tonight as meteor shower is set to reach its peak
  • Spectacular meteor shower to light up skies tonight with up to 25 shooting stars an hour