Pictures: Spectacular meteor showers seen by UAE viewers over the years

1999: Meteor storm above the Fujairah Mountain.

2005: The UAE skies witnessed a display by the annual Perseid meteor shower. According to the Arab Association for Space Science and Astronomy, the Preseid Meteor Shower appeared every year between 17 July and 24 August but increase during what is known as the peak period. Sky watchers in temperate northern latitudes are best placed to see the spectacle, but the prospects are a bit dimmer down south. Astronomers explain that this debris strikes the upper atmosphere at about 60 kilometres per second, causing it to burn up into white-hot streaks. Bigger pieces are immolated as fireballs.

2009: August 13 | A star-struck crowd watches a meteor streak past on Wednesday night. The event was organised by the Dubai Astronomy Group.

2009: People gathered to witness the meteor shower in Margam, on the Hatta Oman Road.

2010: A family go stargazing with the Dubai Astronomy group after the Jumeirah Bab Al Shams hosted the event to catch the Perseids Meteor Shower in Dubai United Arab Emirates.

2013: 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.

2014: Hundreds of people gathered at Bab Al Shams Hotel and Resort in Dubai to witness the meteor shower in Dubai.

2017: Aug 12 | Residents gather at Al Qudra, Dubai to witness the meteor shower.

2020: Hundreds of UAE residents camped in Al Qudra desert area outside Dubai city to watch the Quadrantids meteor shower on Saturday. The Quadrantids occur in December-January each year as the Earth passes a band of cosmic debris, resulting in a meteor shower or streaks across the night sky as the meteors pass through the atmosphere.