Every year around mid-August, Earth plunges through a stream of debris shed by Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle. These fragments, mostly no larger than grains of sand, blaze through our atmosphere at around 59 km/s, (that is ‘per second’) becoming the Perseids—one of the most spectacular and reliable annual meteor showers. I have watched for them many times before – I hope it’s a clear night and we can all see them. They are consistent and timely as the Earth’s orbit intersects that cometary trail at nearly the same time and path each year.

Tonight marks the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, with Earth moving through the densest stream of debris from the comet’s tail. These particles ignite in our upper atmosphere, producing up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions – which is spectacular to watch.

But where do we look, I hear you ask? In the constellation Perseus, which lies in the northeastern sky, climbing higher as the night deepens. Instead of staring directly, glance about 40° above the ‘radiant,’ – not directly at the source of the meteors. You can generally see more if you rely on your peripheral vision to catch sight of more meteors across the sky

It’s a cosmic reminder that even dust carries the tale of the ancient wanderers of space, reflected in dazzling, brilliant streaks of light across our skies. So wonder at the wanderer

This celestial spectacle repeats every August because Earth’s orbit reliably intersects the same cometary dust stream – every year unchanged across centuries. The com­et itself loops past Earth about every 133 years; its next close return is estimated in 2126
Lets look up at the marvellous meteor showers tonight – to remind ourselves we live on a planet in space.