Perseid Meteor Shower tonight: Here’s how to catch a glimpse in India

Another treat awaits stargazers as the Perseid meteor shower will be gracing the skies tonight. The meteor shower is considered to be one of the best meteor showers of the year due to its high rates and pleasant late-summer temperatures.

The best part is that no special equipment will be needed to watch the meteor shower as it will be easily visible with the naked eye. The best location to catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower is a place that does not have a lot of air and light pollution.

Perseid meteors, caused by debris left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle, began streaking across the skies in late July and will peak in the pre-dawn hours of August 12.

However, people living in India may not get a clear view of the meteor shower because of monsoon clouds. It will also be clashing with a half-moon, impeding the view of the shower peak, which will reduce the visible meteors from over 60 per hour to 15-20 per hour.

Perseid meteor shower in India: Date and time

Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 12 (Wednesday) but will be visible throughout August 11-13.

In India, the celestial event may be visible on two days- Tuesday and Wednesday. The visibility of meteors will be high in the night from 2 am to dawn.

About the Perseid meteor shower

The Perseids, which peak during mid-August, are considered the best meteor shower of the year. With very fast and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere.

Perseids are also known for their fireballs. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.

You can also watch the celestial show live on the Facebook page of Nasa Meteor Watch from around 6 am IST on Tuesday.