Perseid meteor shower to light up skies: Up to 100 meteors hourly

In the night, from Monday to Tuesday, the sky will light up with falling stars. Astronomers expect the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. If the weather permits, it will be possible to see up to a hundred meteors per hour.

"Falling stars," otherwise known as meteors, are luminous phenomena that occur when a rocky fragment from space, known as a meteoroid, enters the Earth's atmosphere. Most meteoroids burn up in the atmosphere, but only the largest ones reach the ground and become meteorites.

This phenomenon occurs throughout the year, but one of the most spectacular is the Perseid meteor shower, which is active from 17 July to 24 August, peaking on the night of 12 to 13 August. According to the American Astronomical Society, this year's peak activity is expected on 12 August, around 15:00 GMT.

Perseids, characterized by a speed of about 37 miles per second, have been observed since ancient times. They usually fall in groups of 6-15 meteors within 2-3 minutes. Theoretically, in perfect conditions, it is possible to see up to 100 meteors per hour.

The source of the Perseids is comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which approaches Earth every 133 years – it was discovered in 1862.

No tools like binoculars or telescopes are required to observe the meteor shower; just a place with a good sky view is needed. The darker the area, the more meteors we will see, so if we can't go outside the city, it is worth finding a location where street lights are not in the eyes.