CYPRUS AWAITS PERSEID METEOR SHOWER - 12 August

From inCyprus - 3 August 2017

A meteor shower is set to light up the Cyprus night sky on August 12, according to the Cyprus Astronomical Society (ASTREK).

The Perseid Meteor Shower, which started on July 12 and is set to continue until August 24, will be most visible on August 12. According to data released by NASA, the meteor shower will be at its densest on that day with the meteors reaching speeds of up to 59km per second.

“They travel the distance between Nicosia and Larnaca in less than one second,” said ASTREK President Chrysanthos Fakas.

The Perseids can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Look between the radiant, which will be in the northeast part of the sky, and the zenith (the point in the sky directly above you).

The best time to see the Perseids is after 11 pm when the radiant will be at its highest and the moon will start its descent. The Perseids are space debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet and appear as the earth moves through the comet’s orbit around the sun.

In light of the occasion, ASTREK will be holding an astronomy evening in the courtyard of Ayiou Arseniou church in Kyperounda on Saturday, August 12 between 9 pm and 9.30 pm and is open to the public.

Stargazers will have the opportunity to experience this astronomical phenomenon with the aid of telescopes while also taking the opportunity to see the planets of Jupiter and Saturn (after 10.30pm) and other constellations.