Perseid - the best places in Cork to watch the meteor shower

The annual display peaks tomorrow night - and as a rule - the less people around, the clearer the skies will be

A Perseid seen in August 2010 above the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope at Paranal, Chile. Pic: S. Guisard/ESO/PA Wire

The Perseid meteor shower that's been ongoing and visible over Ireland in recent days is set to peak tomorrow night (Thursday) - offering stargazers a clear view of the phenomenon.

"The meteor shower has been happening around the clock over the past few days, but the best time to watch will be all night tomorrow night," says astrophysicist Eric Murphy of MTU Blackrock Observatory.

The shower will be visible to the naked eye in the city and in towns around the county, with no need to observe through a telescope or other devices, some places will be better-positioned for starspotting than others, according to Murphy.

"The general rule is, the less people or light pollution around, the better the skies. Out past Kinsale and into West Cork are ideal - the further west you go, the better."

"Glengariff is a personal favourite", he adds.

The observatory has also posted a video guide to making the most of the meteor shower on its Twitter, highlighting the density of meteors in the sky at peak times, and how to recognise them.

Today's #AstroChallenge offers tips on how to make the most of the Perseid meteor shower in Dark Skies. #DarkSkyTuesday pic.twitter.com/e7a7fQgWNo

— MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory (@blackrockcastle) August 10, 2021

This is the first time since 2015 that a Perseid shower is happening in 'dark skies', ie, while there is no moon in the sky - making the shower even easier to observe.

Astronomy Ireland, meanwhile, is asking stargazers to count the amount of meteors they see every 15 minutes, and report their findings.