Sharjah: The patience of scores of spectators paid off late on Monday night and pre-dawn Tuesday when at least 30 Perseid meteors burst in the night sky as seen from the Zubair Camp in Sharjah.
Despite hazy and overcast conditions, the Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG), which organised the special viewing of the meteor shower, said at least 30 Perseid meteors, including four bright ones, were spotted during the event. The viewing was somewhat limited by cloud and haze cover due to the low-pressure system that has been prevailing in the country since Sunday.
“We counted about 30 meteors with four big ones tonight. Sunday night was much better because the weather cleared after 11pm, providing better conditions for observation. Our friends who were here saw four bright meteors until 2am,” Hassan Al Hariri, CEO of the DAG, told Gulf News.
But for the spectators or for the untrained eye, the number varied between four and 15.
About 400 residents from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Ajman camped out at the venue starting at 9pm. But by midnight, others started to leave as the skies had not cleared.
But soon after 1am, loud cheers, whistles and applause from the crowd broke the silence when the first shooting star appeared. Photography enthusiasts armed with digital cameras sprang into action to capture the natural celestial fireworks. But because the shooting stars were scattered everywhere, the shoot became very challenging.
Syrian expatriates Hani Jajah and Ahmad Al Hussaini set up two cameras for the show. They stayed for hours but did not get lucky. “It’s too bad the meteors were out of my frame. They’re too high in the sky. But I was able to get a couple of star trails,” Jajah told Gulf News. “But it’s OK as we enjoyed the whole show. We’ll try again next time.”
