Observatory looks to the skies

Armagh Observatory is hoping for meteor shower

Northern Ireland astronomers are keeping their eyes to the sky on the lookout for an expected spectacular display of shooting stars.

Dozens of meteors are expected to shoot across the sky every hour during Monday.

Astronomers at Armagh Observatory will be using their powerful telescopes to track the shower.

On Sunday night, when the phenomenon was due to peak, cloud cover over much of Northern Ireland obscured the spectacle.

The Perseids were expected to be visible from the UK as streaks of coloured light in the night sky before dawn.

The meteors may be seen at any time for a few days either side of the maximum period of visibility.

If you go out at about 3am the chances are that within a few minutes you will see a fairly nice meteor

Robin Scagell, astronomer

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: "If you go out at about 0300 BST the chances are that within a few minutes you will see a fairly nice meteor.

"The thing about the Perseids is that they are known for producing some quite spectacular meteors."

Comet trail

Meteors are streaks of light in the sky caused by small pieces of comet dust disintegrating in the Earth's atmosphere.

When comets pass close to the sun, they begin to evaporate and leave behind a trail of gas and dust.

How to see the Perseids

Choose a dark location, away from city lights

Look up towards an unobstructed part of the sky

Face away from the Moon

When the Earth passes through this trail, we have a meteor shower.

The Perseids, which appear in the constellation Perseus, are among the fastest meteors, hitting the atmosphere at 60 kilometres per second.

For anyone who misses the Perseids, an even more spectacular meteor shower is promised in November.

Astronomers are predicting a storm of up to 15,000 Leonid shooting stars an hour.