Perseid meteor shower: We joined stargazers for a magical night in UAE

Enthusiasts and stargazers were in for a celestial treat as the annual Perseid meteor shower returns, with a display of "shooting stars" across the night sky during an event hosted by Dubai Astronomy Group at Jebel Jais.

While the peak viewing period coincides with a bright moon, making some of the fainter meteors less visible, the show still resulted to be a magical experience.

The Perseids, one of the most prolific meteor showers of the year, are caused by Earth passing through a trail of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle.

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The Perseid Meteor Shower is considered the best meteor shower of the year. According to NASA, Perseids frequently leave long “wakes” of light and colour behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere. With swift and bright meteors, the Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to comfortably view them. In addition to the meteor shower observation, the event features a variety of engaging activities designed to captivate attendees of all ages.

Participants observed the moon and planets through telescopes, attended a presentation on the meteor shower by expert astronomers, and participated in an interactive session focused on comets.