It's Perseids time of year, a reliable show of shooting stars across the night sky. But will the UK weather be reliable? a lot of cloud tonight (Tues)
Apparently 2015 is a great year for viewing the Perseids meteor shower.
Why? Because it coincides with a new moon, so the skies are darker and the shooting stars will stand out more. The new moon is on August 14th, so it is currently waning
There are several days of viewing as the Perseids slowly gather themselves and then fall off quickly after the peak. The best time is in the small hours of the night towards dawn. Anything after midnight is fine and a few meteors are still visible from early evening onwards, always worth a look
It’s all caused by the annual trip of the earth’s orbit through the tail dust of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. Viewings are recommended particularly overnight 12 -13th but also the 11th, so tonight, 12th and 14th. Your eyes will take 20 minutes to get used to the darkness and as always, away from town lights with a wide view of the skies is best.
So it’s all going to be going on up there, but will we be able to see it from the UK?
Viewing weather this week
Update Tues 11th
There is a lot of cloud out there this evening. A waving front over SE Britain which isn't shifting much. For Egnland and Wales there will be large gaps appearing in the cloud, especially through Wales, Midlands and SW England, so well worth a look in the small hours. Elsewhere it is rather hit and miss, more cloud over N.Ireland and Scotland and the stubborn cloud over southern England.
Monday 10th August
Tonight, satellite image above from Dundee Satellite receiving station (DSRS) shows frontal patchy cloud over England clearing SE (yellow arrow) and heavy showers around low with dense cloud moving NE over Scotland (blue arrow) so allowing more clear skies to appear over UK
Monday night – Clear skies over much of England and Wales, parts of Eastern Scotland but quite cloudy for N.Ireland, NW England and rest of Scotland
Tues night 11/12 – Cloudy Scotland, patchy cloud N.Ireland, clear England, Wales, Borders but cloud increasing during the night eastern England and south coast
Weds night 12/13 The rain arrives for England and Wales possibly N.Ireland , clear skies over Scotland
Thurs night 13/14- lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain
So have a look before the rain arrives later this week
