Shooting Stars Galore This Weekend

The best shooting star shower of the year is due to peak this weekend. Astronomy Ireland is urging members of the general public all over Ireland to go outdoors on Saturday night and watch the natural celestial fireworks display.

"Up to 20 times more shooting stars than a normal night are expected so instead of seeing one every 10 minutes there could be one or more each minute," said David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland.

Shooting stars are more correctly known as meteors. They are caused by the Earth crashing into tiny pieces of dust that have fallen off a comet long ago. The Earth collides with these pieces of dust at 100,000 mph and when they hit the upper atmosphere at these speeds the friction causes them to instantly burn up. The result is a fiery streak popularly known as a 'shooting star'.

"Bright meteors can be very spectacular and in the past we have seen Perseids so bright that they lit up the whole landscape like a giant cosmic flash gun," Mr Moore said. "We want everyone in Ireland to witness this amazing natural spectacle on Saturday night."

Information about the Perseid meteor show is available on Astronomy Ireland's website www.astronomy.ie and members of the public are urged to check it out for details of how to see it at its best.

Perseids can be seen for up to several weeks either side of this Saturday August 12 but there are less of them on the nights before and after the August 12 peak.

However, some Perseids are expected to show up at the biggest annual telescope viewing evening in Ireland on August 26, our annual Star-B-Q. It is a barbecue under the stars aimed at the general public. You can see the wonders of the universe through some of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland. Go to www.astronomy.ie for more details.

Issued by: Bernard Gaffney, Executive Secretary, Astronomy Ireland. Tel (01) 847 0777 or sec@astronomy.ie