Celestial light show tonight

Barbecue party guests could be treated to a spectacular celestial light show tonight.

Scientists believe that an unusual burst of Perseid meteors could erupt in the sky from about 9.50pm.

If their predictions are right, up to 200 meteors an hour may be seen in dark locations away from city lights.

In other areas, bright shooting stars might be visible at the rate of one a minute.

The Perseids, tiny grains of dust shed by the comet Swift-Tuttle, make a regula appearance every year on August 12 and 13.

But this year an extra surge is expected tonight as the Earth ploughs through a ribbon of Perseid particles left behind by Swift-Tuttle in 1862.

Most of the meteors are no bigger than a grain of sand, but some can be as large as a pea.

When they strike the Earth’s atmosphere at about 157,000 mph they burn up, leaving incandescent trails across the sky.

Royal Observatory astronomer Anton Vamplew said: “Generally we get a peak on the 12th or 13th, but there’s this extra ribbon of dust that we think we’re going to hit before the main stream.

“We should see some really quite nice, bright meteors streaking across the sky. They are known as ‘earth grazers’ because the position they’re coming from is very low down and they clip the atmosphere at a shallow angle.

“Just before 10 the sky isn’t completely dark, so some of the meteors will be drowned out at that time. But it should be a good night. The really bright meteors are quite amazing.”

The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation of Perseus, low in the north-east evening sky beneath the W of Cassiopeia. But the best place to look is directly overhead, where the sky is darkest.

A second peak is expected at about 7am or 8am on Thursday morning, but it will be too bright to see the meteors then.

However, they should be visible again on Thursday night.

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said it was important to leave the city behind if possible.

“I don’t think it’s the sort of thing a casual observer in Willesden will notice, but anywhere where you have a clear sky then you might see a meteor every few seconds, if the predictions are right.

“Noting down how many meteors you see is a very good way of observing the activity of these filaments. You don’t need sophisticated scientific instruments, just the Mark One eyeball.”