Perseid meteor shower to be visible over Northern Ireland bbc.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BBC News
By Angie Phillips
Published
Late July into August is treat time for stargazers, depending on weather conditions of course.
The Perseid Meteor shower delivers some of the brightest meteors of the various displays throughout the year.
Usually, the Perseids start about 16 July and peak on the 11, 12 and 13 August, when there could be as many as 100 meteors in an hour.
They then taper away towards 23 August.
Terry Moseley, from the Irish Astronomical Association, said the display is caused by the earth moving into the debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.
The earth passes through the debris every summer and the streaks are caused as the particles burn up as they hit the earth s atmosphere.
Mankind has been looking to the cosmos for thousands of years to help answer some of our biggest questions, but now, people are turning to the night sky during lockdown for a soothing, relaxing experience to enjoy at home.
BBC News
By Barra Best
21 December 2020 Image copyright Anthony Murphy/Mythical Ireland Image caption Jupiter and Saturn - pictured over Newgrange in County Meath last week - will appear to merge
A very rare, once-in-a-lifetime celestial event will shine brightly in the sky on Monday evening - weather permitting, of course.
Our two largest planets - Jupiter and Saturn - will appear to merge in what is called a conjunction on this, the winter solstice.
This will be the closest the planets will have been since 1623.
But back then they were very close to the sun, making the conjunction very hard to see.
Once in a lifetime event to be visible over Ireland s skies tonight
Jupiter and Saturn will look like they re merging in an event that hasn t happened since 1623
Lighten up: The darker the sky, the more stars you can see (Image: REX)
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