How to watch the Perseids meteor shower in UAE this week

Up to 100 meteors per hour are expected to shoot across the skies

A view of the Perseid meteor shower over the Church of St Paraskevi of Iconium in the village of Russkoye Khodyashevo in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan in 2021.

A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above the Negev desert near the city of Mitzpe Ramon in Israel.

The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the Swift–Tuttle comet. The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to originate lies in the constellation Perseus.

In many places the Perseids are easily visible to the naked eye.

Most of the meteors are small and burn up when they hit the Earth's atmosphere.

Perseid meteors in the sky over Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in the Qinghai Province of China.

A Perseid meteor over the Sariyer district of Istanbul, Turkey.

A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky over Izmir, Turkey.

A Perseid meteor above a sandstone outcrop at Redstone in the Pinto Valley wilderness area in Nevada, US.

The Perseids meteor shower is set to peak in the UAE and around the world, lighting up the skies on August 12 and 13.

The cosmic event will feature about 100 meteors an hour shooting across the night sky.

Visibility will depend on the weather but so far the forecast is for a clear sky with little interference from the Moon.

“The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 to 100 meteors per hour at its peak,” Dubai Astronomy Group said.

“It is produced by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors."

How to watch from the UAE

The shower will peak on August 12 and the morning of August 13 and the best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

It will be visible to the naked eye but telescopes will enhance the viewing experience.

The Dubai Astronomy Group is hosting a viewing event at Al Awir desert Saturday night, with tickets costing Dh200 to Dh300.

Telescopes will be provided.

People look through telescopes at a viewing event put on by the Dubai Astronomy Group at Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain. Pawan Singh / The National

Several YouTube channels will broadcast the celestial event live.

"With its peak around August 13, the Perseids can produce an impressive display of up to 100 meteors per hour under optimal conditions," said the Al Sadeem Astronomy, which has an observatory based in Abu Dhabi.

"From Abu Dhabi, at the peak of the shower, the radiant will fall at the altitude of 56° above your horizon, which may help the observers to see up to 125 meteors per hour."

What causes the showers?

Nasa said the Perseids are one of the best meteor showers of the year.

They leave light and colour behind them as they streak across Earth's atmosphere.

"Perseids are also known for their fireballs,"," the space agency said. "Fireballs are larger explosions of light and colour that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.

"This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material."

Perseids are leftover pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862.