Perseid meteor shower reaches peak visibility this weekend

Thanks to the annual Perseid meteor shower, there is a high chance of seeing shooting stars this weekend. Meteovista expects 38 to 50 visible shooting stars per hour during the nights of Saturday to Sunday and Sunday to Monday.

Last year the Perseids were poorly visible due to weather conditions. Although some clouds are forecast, conditions will be more favourable this year.

The peak will be at 2pm on Sunday, but as it will be light, the stars will not be visible. The best viewing time, with the most shooting stars per hour, is Sunday at 4am, with 44 shooting stars per hour.

"Look diagonally up towards the east to north-east, that's when you have the best chance of seeing a shooting star. You will see a fast, bright afterglow trail," Meteovista advises.

A shooting star, also known as a meteor, is a small piece of interplanetary debris that enters the Earth's atmosphere and evaporates due to friction with the air.

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