Meteor shower visible from late Wednesday to early Thursday

Keep your fingers crossed for a clear night sky from late night Wednesday, August 12, until sunrise Thursday, August 13, so Filipinos will be able to see one of the most spectacular stellar shows around.

The annual Perseids meteor shower will have its peak from 11 p.m. on Wednesday up to 4 a.m. Thursday, according to the state weather bureau.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) advised stargazers to be sure to look up at 1 a.m. Thursday when the famous meteor shower will peak with at least 50 shooting stars streaking in the sky in an hour.

Named after the constellation Perseus where the meteors appear to originate from in the sky, the Perseids meteor shower features fast and bright meteors that leave trains.

Barring a cloudy sky, this year’s event would be clearly seen since a warning crescent moon will leave the sky dark enough for the meteors to be clearly seen.

Unfortunately for the country, the Perseids meteor shower occurs during the rainy season when the country frequently experiences cloudy skies.

In fact, PAGASA has reported cloudy skies over much of the country the past several days.

“It would have been a good time to watch since we expect little or no light from the moon. But the sky may be a bit cloudy at this time of the year,” said weather observer Rex Guerrero of the PAGASA astronomy division.

“But we might have some luck since the typhoon (Hanna) has just left. Let’s hope our skies will be clear,” he added.

Guerrero has advised stargazers to look at the eastern horizon where the constellation of Perseus is located since that is where the meteors radiate from.

Under clear and dark skies with no pollution, observers could expect to see at least 50 up to 100 shooting stars an hour without need for a telescope.

The Perseids meteor shower takes place when debris from the Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere when the planet crosses the orbit of the comet.

The Perseids meteor shower is one of the brightest meteor showers and thus one of the most anticipated stellar shows in the year along with the Leonids and Geminids meteor showers that occur in November and December, respectively.